Section 9: Is a happy life acquired by study, habit, God, or luck?

For this reason also the following question is asked: whether a happy life is to be acquired by study, by habituation, or by some other sort of training, or whether a happy life comes about from some kind of divine destiny, or whether it comes about by luck. _[10]

Now if there is any gift of the gods to men, it is reasonable that happiness is also God-given, especially because it is the best of all human goods. But this question would perhaps be more appropriate to another inquiry. But a happy life seems to be one of the most divine things, even if it is not sent by God but comes as a result of virtue and some process of learning or _[15] training. For the prize and highest goal of virtue seems to be something divine and blessed.

It will also on this view be widely shared, since virtue can be acquired by a certain kind of study and care, at least by everyone who is not impaired in their capacity for virtue. But if it is better to be happy as a result of your effort than happy by luck, _[20] it is reasonable to suppose that’s how it really is, since everything that depends on the action of nature is by nature as good as it can be, and similarly everything that depends on skill or any cause, and especially if it depends on the best of all causes. To entrust what is greatest and most noble to luck would strike a false note.

The answer to the question we are asking is plain also from the definition of a happy life. _[25] For we have said that a happy life is a certain kind of virtuous activity of soul. And we have said that of the remaining goods in life, some are necessary conditions of happiness, while others are naturally co-workers and useful as instruments. And this will be found to agree with what we said at the beginning. For we said that the goal of political wisdom is the highest human goal, and political wisdom spends most of its effort on making _[30] the citizens to be of a certain character, namely, to be good and capable of noble actions.

It is natural, then, that we don’t say an ox, a horse, or any other animal achieves a happy life. _[1100a1] For none of them is capable of sharing in such virtuous activities. This is also why a child cannot be said to have a happy life. For children are not yet capable of such actions, due to their age, and children who are called happy are being congratulated because of the hopes we have for them.

As we already said, a happy life requires not only complete virtue but also a complete life. For many reversals of fortune occur in life, _[5] and all kinds of chance events, and the most prosperous people may fall into great misfortunes in old age, as is told of Priam in the story of Troy. And no one says that a person who has experienced such bad luck and has died wretchedly lived a happy life.^[1]