He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must either be a beast or a god.

εἰ γὰρ μὴ αὐτάρκης ἕκαστος χωρισθείς, ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοις μέρεσιν ἕξει πρὸς τὸ ὅλον, ὁ δὲ μὴ δυνάμενος κοινωνεῖν ἢ μηδὲν δεόμενος δι᾽ αὐτάρκειαν οὐθὲν μέρος πόλεως, ὥστε ἢ θηρίον ἢ θεός.

Aristotle

Politics

Buy Politics at Amazon Buy Politics at Amazon
Read Politics at MIT's classics department website

More information about this quote

Topic

Man as social animal Man and animals

Author

Aristotle

Source

Politics

Genre

Political literature Philosophical literature

Language

Greek

Time

350 BC 350s BC 4th century BC

Era

Classical antiquity

Occupation

Philosopher Writer

From

Greece Europe Ancient Greece

Authentication Score 1

Original Citation

Aristotle. Politics. 4th century BC, bk. 1.

Current Citation

Aristotle. Politics, translated by R. F. Stalley and Sir Ernest Barker. Oxford University Press, 2009, bk. 1.

Illustrated Quote

A quote by Aristotle about man as social animal: “He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because…”
Download
A quote by Aristotle about man as social animal: “He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because…”
Download
A quote by Aristotle about man as social animal: “He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because…”
Download

Related Quotes

Below are one or more quotes that share at least one tag with the quote at the top of the page

Another quote by Aristotle

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.

Aristotle

Buy Parts of Animals at Amazon Buy Parts of Animals at Amazon
More information about this quote
Topic
Beauty of nature Nature

Author

Aristotle
Source
On the Parts of Animals
Genre
Scientific literature
Language
Greek
Time
350 BC 350s BC 4th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Aristotle. Περὶ ζῴων μορίων [Parts of Animals]. c. 350 BC.

Current Citation

Aristotle. "Parts of Animals I." Aristotle: Generation of Animals & History of Animals 1, Parts of Animals 1, translated by C. D. C. Reeve. Hackett Publications, 2019.

Another quote about Man and animals

Of all wild creatures, the child is the most intractable.

Plato

Laws

Buy Plato's Laws at Amazon Buy Plato's Laws at Amazon
Read Laws at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Man and animals Boys Teaching children Children

Author

Plato
Source
Laws
Medium
Philosophical dialogue Dialogue
Genre
Philosophical literature
Language
Greek
Time
346 BC 340s BC 4th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Plato. Νόμοι [Laws]. c. 346 BC, bk. 7.

Current Citation

Plato. Laws, translated by Tom Griffith, edited by Malcolm Schofield. Cambridge University Press, 2016, bk. 7.

Another quote from Classical antiquity

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Genesis 2:24

Buy the Bible (KJV) at Amazon Buy the Bible (KJV) at Amazon
Read this verse at Bible Hub
More information about this quote
Topic
Marriage Men and women
Source
Genesis The Bible
Medium
Scripture
Genre
Religious literature
Language
Hebrew
Time
1405 BC 1400s BC 15th century BC
Era
Classical antiquity
Authentication Score 3
Citation

The Holy Bible: The King James Version. 1611. (Genesis 2:24).

Another quote originally in Greek

Do not speak ill of the dead.

Chilon

Quoted in The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, by Diogenes Laërtius

Buy The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers at Amazon Buy The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers at Amazon
Read The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers at Project Gutenberg
More information about this quote
Topic
Speaking ill of the dead
Speaker
Chilon

Author

Diogenes Laërtius
Source
The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers
Genre
Historical literature
Language
Greek
Time
400 400s 3rd century
Authentication Score 2
Original Citation

Chilon. Quoted in The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, written by Diogenes Laërtius. c. 240 AD, bk. 1, ch. 3.

Current Citation

Chilon. Quoted in The Lives of Eminent Philosophers, written by Diogenes Laërtius, translated by Pamela Mensch, edited by James Miller. Oxford University Press, 2018, bk. 1, ch. 3.