§2.2ὅτι μὲν τοίνυν ἡ ἠθικὴ ἀρετὴ περὶ ἡδέα καὶ λυπηρά ἐστι, δῆλον·
Therefore, that moral virtue is concerned with pleasant and painful things is clear.
ἐπεὶ δʼ ἐστὶ τὸ ἦθος, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ ὄνομα σημαίνει ὅτι ἀπὸ ἔθους ἔχει τὴν ἐπίδοσιν, ἐθίζεται δὲ τὸ ὑπʼ ἀγωγῆς μὴ ἐμφύτου τῷ πολλάκις κινεῖσθαι πώς, οὕτως ἤδη τὸ ἐνεργητικόν, ὃ ἐν τοῖς ἀψύχοις οὐχ ὁρῶμεν (οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν μυριάκις ῥίψῃς ἄνω τὸν λίθον, οὐδέποτε ποιήσει τοῦτο μὴ βίᾳ), διὸ ἔστω τὸ ἦθος τοῦτο ψυχῆς κατὰ ἐπιτακτικὸν λόγον τοῦ ἀλόγου μέν, δυναμένου δʼ ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ λόγῳ ποιότης.
And since character, just as its name also signifies, has its growth from habit, and that which is guided by non-innate training is habituated by being moved in a certain way many times, so that it is now active, which we do not see in inanimate things (for even if you throw a stone upwards ten thousand times, it will never do this except by force), therefore, let character be this quality of the soul in accordance with commanding reason belonging to the part which is irrational but capable of following reason.
λεκτέον δὴ κατὰ τί τῆς ψυχῆς ποιότης τὰ ἤθη.
We must now state in respect of what of the soul characters are qualities.
ἔστι δὲ κατά τε τὰς δυνάμεις τῶν παθημάτων, καθʼ ἃς ὡς παθητικοὶ λέγονται, καὶ κατὰ τὰς ἕξεις, καθʼ ἃς πρὸς τὰ πάθη ταῦτα λέγονται τῷ πάσχειν πως ἢ ἀπαθεῖς εἶναι.
And they are so both in respect of the capacities for passions, in respect of which people are called prone to passions, and in respect of the states, in respect of which people are spoken of in relation to these passions by being affected in a certain way or being unaffected.
μετὰ ταῦτα ἡ διαίρεσις ἐν τοῖς ἀπηλλαγμένοις τῶν παθημάτων καὶ τῶν δυνάμεων καὶ τῶν ἕξεων.
After these things, the division must be made among the distinguished categories of passions, capacities, and states.
λέγω δὲ πάθη μὲν τὰ τοιαῦτα, θυμὸν φόβον αἰδῶ ἐπιθυμίαν, ὅλως οἷς ἕπεται ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ ἡ αἰσθητικὴ ἡδονὴ ἢ λύπη καθʼ αὑτά.
And I mean by passions such things as anger, fear, shame, desire, and generally those which are followed for the most part by sensory pleasure or pain in themselves.
καὶ κατὰ μὲν ταῦτα οὐκ ἔστι ποιότης, ἀλλὰ πάσχει, κατὰ δὲ τὰς δυνάμεις ποιότης.
And in respect of these there is no quality, but one is affected, but in respect of the capacities there is quality.
λέγω δὲ δυνάμεις καθʼ ἃς λέγονται κατὰ τὰ πάθη οἱ ἐνεργοῦντες, οἷον ὀργίλος ἀνάλγητος ἐρωτικὸς αἰσχυντηλὸς ἀναίσχυντος.
And I mean by capacities those in respect of which those who act are spoken of according to their passions, for example, irascible, insensible, amorous, bashful, shameless.
ἕξεις δέ εἰσιν ὅσαι αἴτιαί εἰσι τοῦ ταῦτα ἢ κατὰ λόγον ὑπάρχειν ἢ ἐναντίως, οἷον ἀνδρεία σωφροσύνη δειλία ἀκολασία.
And states are those which are the causes of these belonging either in accordance with reason or contrariwise, for example, courage, temperance, cowardice, intemperance.