Book 2 / Chapter 1
Paragraph 2 - The Acquisition of Virtues Through Practice
Explanation - Part By Part
"Again, of all the things that come to us by nature we first acquire the potentiality and later exhibit the activity (this is plain in the case of the senses; for it was not by often seeing or often hearing that we got these senses, but on the contrary we had them before we used them, and did not come to have them by using them);"
Aristotle explains that natural abilities, like our senses (sight, hearing, etc.), are innate. We are born with the potential for these abilities, and we don’t acquire them by practicing or using them repeatedly. For example, we don’t gain the ability to see or hear by doing those actions many times; instead, we are born with the capacity to see or hear, and we start using these senses later. In other words, some aspects of our nature simply exist within us from the beginning, and we use them after they are already part of us.
"but the virtues we get by first exercising them, as also happens in the case of the arts as well."
Aristotle is pointing out that virtues are not innate traits that we simply possess from birth; instead, they are skills or qualities developed through practice and repetition, much like learning an art or craft. Just as someone becomes a painter by repeatedly painting or a musician by consistently playing an instrument, we cultivate virtues by actively practicing them in our daily lives. Virtue, then, is built through engagement and effort—it doesn't emerge naturally or spontaneously. It requires intentional action over time.
"For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them, e.g. men become builders by building and lyreplayers by playing the lyre; so too we become just by doing just acts, temperate by doing temperate acts, brave by doing brave acts."
Aristotle is emphasizing that virtues, like skills or crafts, are developed through repeated actions and practice. Just as someone becomes a skilled builder by actually engaging in building, or a musician by consistently playing their instrument, a person becomes virtuous—just, self-controlled, brave—by repeatedly performing actions that reflect those virtues. Virtue isn't something you're born with or automatically possess; it requires intentional effort and consistent practice. To be a good person, you have to actively develop good habits by behaving in a virtuous way over time. It's about doing, not just knowing.