The Atlantic

Aristotle’s 10 Rules for a Good Life

An ancient Greek recipe for happiness
Source: Illustration by Jan Buchczik

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Many people say they are looking for happiness. They spend a lot of time and resources searching for the secrets of well-being, like old-time miners prospecting for gold. But for some sages throughout history, this is the wrong approach. Happiness isn’t something to be found; it’s something to attract.

Perhaps the most famous proponent of the second path was the Greek philosopher Aristotle. He defined happiness as , which means “good spirit.” To us moderns, this might sound vaporous, like the superficial happy feelings that so many people (incorrectly, in ) chase. Instead, the philosopher meant that happiness was a divine state that would visit each of us as it

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