“Even though happiness comes from living well, external things still matter. It’s hard to do good things without the right resources. For example:
• We need money, friends, and influence to do many noble actions.
• Beauty, good family, and children add to a good life, while their absence can make life harder.
• If someone has extreme hardships—like being ugly, lonely, or losing loved ones—it is difficult for them to be happy.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Esition, pg. 28
“Think of the Olympic Games. The strongest or most beautiful athlete doesn’t win the prize—only those who compete and perform well do. In the same way, the happiest people are those who actively live with goodness and wisdom, not just those who have the potential to do so.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 26-27
“People have long divided ‘good things’ into three groups:
• External goods – things like money, power, or good looks.
• Goods of the body – health, strength, and beauty.
• Goods of the soul – intelligence, wisdom, and virtue (good character).
The best and most important goods are those of the soul, because they come from within us. Since happiness is about how we live and act, it must be a good of the soul, not just an external thing like wealth or power.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics- For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 26
“The unique quality of humans is reason—our ability to think and make choices based on understanding.
Thus, the function of a human must be living in a way that uses reason well. Humans are unique because they can reason. A good life must be one where reason is used well. This is what I call virtue. It means living wisely and making just choices.
If the function of a human is to live according to reason, then the best life must be one where we use our reason in the best way possible. This means living with virtue—developing good habits and making wise choices.
Happiness is about a lifetime of living well.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 24-25
“Humans are social creatures, and happiness includes being part of a community. However, we must set limits—if happiness depended on the well-being of every person we know, we would never be able to define it. Happiness isn’t just one good thing among others. If it were, then adding even a small extra good would make something better than happiness. But happiness is meant to be the highest and most complete good. So, it must be something that makes life fulfilling on its own.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 24
“The highest good must be something we choose only for itself, never as a means to something else. Happiness seems to be this final goal.
• We choose to be happy for its own sake, not because it leads to something else.
• We seek honor, pleasure, and wisdom. We value them not just for themselves, but also because they help us find happiness.
• No one pursues happiness to get something else—it is the goal itself.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 23-24
“Saying that only the perfect ‘Form of the Good’ is truly good makes it meaningless. No one can really experience or achieve it. We should focus on something practical, something that people can actually reach in their lives. Some argue that knowing about ‘The Good’ helps in daily life, like a blueprint helps a builder. But in reality, most people don’t need this kind of abstract knowledge.
We shouldn't chase an impossible idea of perfection. Instead, let's focus on the good that people can really achieve.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 22-23
“Each subject focuses on its own type of good. Medicine looks at health. Military strategy focuses on victory. Ethics examines virtue. If ‘goodness’ meant the same thing in every case, then doctors and generals would study the same subject—which they don’t. This is why a single ‘Good’ for everything doesn’t make sense.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 22
“Do Philosophers Agree on What Is Good? Some philosophers think there is one universal ‘Form of the Good.’ This perfect idea makes everything else good. We should question this idea, even if it comes from respected thinkers like our teachers. As lovers of wisdom, we must value truth more than the opinions of even the most respected people.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 21
“To understand ethics and politics, we must begin with what people already know. That’s why a good upbringing is crucial. If someone is raised with good habits, they already have a sense of right and wrong, even if they can’t fully explain it. Studying ethics helps these people understand more. But if someone wasn’t raised well, no amount of teaching will make them truly grasp goodness. As the poet Hesiod wrote: ‘The best person understands on their own. The second-best listens to wise advice. The worst person neither learns nor listens.’ “
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg 20-21
“So, which field of study helps us understand this highest goal? It must be the most important subject, the one that organizes everything else. That subject is politics. Politics determines how society should be structured. It decides:
• What subjects people should learn.
• Which skills are valuable.
• What rules should be followed.
Politics includes key areas like military strategy, economics, and public speaking. Because it shapes every aspect of life, its goal must be the greatest good for humanity. Even if the greatest good is the same for an individual and for a whole society, achieving it at a national level is more important. Helping one person live a good life is valuable, but improving life for an entire society has a greater impact. That’s why politics is such an essential study—it’s about making life better for everyone. But determining what is truly good is not like solving a simple equation. Ethics requires wisdom, and wisdom comes from experience. Just as we must train our bodies for strength, we must train our minds for virtue.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg. 17-18
“What Is a ‘Good Life’?
Some people think happiness comes from having fun, making money, or becoming famous. Aristotle argued that real happiness is more than just feeling pleasure. It comes from living with purpose. It’s about making good choices and being a good person. He taught that if you want to be happy, you should:
• Think carefully before making decisions.
• Find balance—not too much, not too little.
• Be kind, brave, and fair.
• Practice good habits every day.
Happiness, according to Aristotle, is not just a feeling. It’s a way of living.”
-The Nichomachean Ethics - For Everyone, Aristotle, Kindle Edition, pg14
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Happy 4th of July and may God Bless America!
Today is the feast day of Saint Thomas More. I pray for more men and women like him who will pay the ultimate price standing up for what is right and true against a tyrant who wants the opposite.
St. Thomas More (1478–1535) was born in London, the son of a lawyer and judge. He was educated in the finest schools and became a brilliant English statesman. He served in parliament, on the King's council, as a diplomat, and in many other prominent positions in public administration. He was highly esteemed for his unfailing moral integrity, sharpness of mind, humor, and extraordinary learning. He was also a faithful Catholic, a loving husband, and a devoted father. For his great abilities he was promoted by his friend King Henry VIII to the high office of Lord Chancellor, second in position to the king. He resigned from this post when the king, in open defiance of Church teaching, sought to divorce his wife in order to marry another woman, and to declare himself sovereign of the Church in England. Thomas More, a defender against heresy, refused to condone the king's actions. After trying unsuccessfully to persuade his friend to approve of what he was doing, King Henry VIII imprisoned More in the Tower of London. At his trial, More testified boldly for Church autonomy over the state, for the authority of the pope as head of the Church, and for the indissolubility of marriage in the eyes of God. He was eventually condemned and beheaded, dying as a martyr for the Catholic faith. Thomas More is the patron saint of statesman, politicians, lawyers, civil servants, and large families. His feast day is June 22nd.
