Some Quotations and Allusions in Aristotle’s Ethics

Aristotle’s ethical works mention or quote passages from literary sources to illustrate points of ethical doctrine. Some of these illustrations may be purely decorative. Some may be proverbial, cited without reference to their sources. But in some cases a quotation from, or allusion to, a well-known source may convey to the audience or reader more than is actually said. In some cases Aristotle’s point is intelligible only to an audience who know the context. In other cases he conveys something that he does not say; the context is relevant to the doctrinal point. Either the relevance is a mere coincidence or it is probably intended by Aristotle and probably recognized by the audience. If the context is often relevant, the relevance is probably not a mere coincidence.