Meaning

This line argues that excellence is not something a person either has or lacks as an innate quality. Instead, it is the product of consistent, repeated behavior over time. A single brilliant act does not make someone excellent; what defines a person is what they do day after day. The idea is both demanding and encouraging: character is built through practice, which means it is available to anyone willing to put in the work.

Context

Durant wrote this as part of his broader discussion of Aristotle's ethics in his survey of Western philosophy. It is worth noting that the phrasing is Durant's own summary of Aristotle's ideas rather than a direct translation from Aristotle himself. Durant was paraphrasing the argument found in the Nicomachean Ethics, where Aristotle discusses virtue as something acquired through habituation. The book was written to make philosophical thought accessible to a general reading audience, and this particular line has since taken on a life far beyond its original setting, appearing widely in motivational and self-improvement contexts.

About the author

Will Durant was an American historian and philosopher best known for his multi-volume series on the history of civilization, which he wrote over several decades, partly in collaboration with his wife Ariel Durant. The Story of Philosophy, published earlier in his career, brought him broad popular recognition. He had a gift for making complex intellectual traditions readable and engaging for non-specialist audiences. Durant lived from 1885 to 1981.