Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.
Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote suggests that those who find joy in solitude are either immensely powerful or fundamentally isolated.
Aristotle's quote reflects the dual nature of solitude, implying that finding delight in being alone can indicate an extraordinary state of being, akin to divinity, or a primitive existence, similar to a wild beast. Solitude can be a sanctuary for deep reflection and personal growth, but it can also lead to alienation if one becomes disconnected from society. The essence of this statement invites us to contemplate our relationship with solitude and the extremes it can represent.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
A motivational speaker might use this quote to emphasize the importance of introspection during a personal development seminar.
More from Aristotle
All quotes βThose who cannot bravely face danger are the slaves of their attackers.
For often, when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents itself is but a dream.
You will never do anything in this world without courage. It is the greatest quality of the mind next to honor.
But if nothing but soul, or in soul mind, is qualified to count, it is impossible for there to be time unless there is soul, but only that of which time is an attribute, i.e. if change can exist without soul.
The whole is more than the sum of its parts.
Similar quotes
When a man is treated like a beast, he says, 'After all, I'm human.' When he behaves like a beast, he says 'After all, I'm only human.'
It is bad to be oppressed by a minority, but it is worse to be oppressed by a majority. For there is a reserve of latent power in the masses which, if it is called into play, the minority can seldom resist. But from the absolute will of an entire people there is no appeal, no redemption, no refuge but treason.
We live in a bewildering world.
Look at your life in contrast with the magnitude of creation, space and time. Your life becomes insignificant. Ego disappears.
...it was always our view that in order to attain this [proletarian revolution] and the other far more important aims of the future social revolution, the working class must first take possession of the organised political power of the state and by its aid crush the resistance of the capitalist class and organise society anew.
Hegel was right when he said that we learn from history that man can never learn anything from history.