Living by passion they pursue their own pleasures and the means to them, and avoid the opposite pains, and have not even a conception of what is noble and truly pleasant, since they have never tasted it. We must be content if, when all the influences by which we are thought to become good are present, we get some tincture of virtue. . . . Aristotle's road-markers to happiness. A perfectly happy, virtuous life is very hard to achieve, but we should always try to practice the virtues, even if we may succumb to our vices from time to time. Translating ancient language into a modern one is always a great challenge.
Disputes arise over the modern-day meaning of words and expressions.
Most often, the successful translator is one who can best convey the intent of the original language. Therefore, translations of ancient works vary a great deal. J.A.K. Thomson, Penguin Books 1955. The Nicomachean Ethics comes in ten sections, called Books. Here I have arranged the pages so that the reader can go to successive Books, or step back, or refer to a Table of Virtues and Vices which is found in the J.A.K. Thomson translation.