Interpretation
What this Aristotle quote asks you to notice
The operative phrase is “other misfortunes of life true friends are a sure.” Ask what this line means by a good life: a feeling, a pattern of action, a relationship, or a judgment about value. Compare that answer with your own before turning the quote into a rule for happiness.
This page does not treat one sentence as a complete account of Aristotle’s philosophy. It uses the quote as a reading prompt: identify the claim, test its limits, and follow the source before applying it as advice.
Source Lens
Follow the attribution, not just the image.
- Author
- Aristotle
- Catalog source
- Nicomachean Ethics
- Record
6743366df44700430b5728bd- Reading status
- The catalog gives a named work but not an edition, translator, page, or section. Use the title to locate the passage, then compare the surrounding argument and wording.
Attribution note: Philosophia’s public record supplies the wording, author, and source label. It does not specify an edition or translator. Before academic use or republication, verify the line in a complete edition and cite that edition directly.
About Aristotle
Aristotle (384-322 BCE) was a Greek philosopher and scientist who is considered one of the greatest intellectual figures in Western history. Born in Stagira, a Greek colony in Macedonia, he was the son of a physician to the Macedonian royal court. This background likely influenced his empirical approach to knowledge and his interest in biology. At age 17, he joined Plato's Academy in Athens, where he remained for twenty years until Plato's death. Unlike his teacher Plato, Aristotle emphasized the importance of…
A three-step reflection
- Identify the good the line places at the center of life.
- Ask whether that good is temporary, relational, chosen, or beyond control.
- Try one small practice that tests the idea without demanding a guaranteed mood.
Return to the exact wording after answering. If your conclusion could have been reached without reading the quote, look again for a distinction or assumption you missed.
Use this quote in Philosophia
Find Aristotle in the app, save the line to a Happiness and meaning collection, and keep the source visible when you revisit it.
Use a widget or notification as the reminder, then open the app when the sentence deserves more than a glance. Compare it with another quote from the same thinker or school before deciding what it means for your day.