Aristotle's Politics : Writings from the complete works : Politics ; Economics ; Constitution of Athens / Jonathan Barnes

EVERY STATE IS A COMMUNITY OF SOME KIND, and every (12521) community is established with a view to some good; for everyone always acts in order to obtain that which they think good -- He who thus considers things in their first growth and (25) origin, whether a state or anything else, will obtain the clearest view of them -- Seeing then that the state is made up of households, before speaking of the state we must speak of the management of the household. -- Property is a part of the household, and the art of acquiring property is a part of the art of managing the household; for no man can live well, or indeed live at all, unless he (25) is provided with necessaries -- But is there any one thus intended by nature to be a slave, and for whom such a condition is expedient and right, or rather is not all slavery a violation of nature? (20) There is no difficulty in answering this question, on grounds both of reason and of fact -- But that those who take the opposite view have in a certain way right on their side, may be easily seen