Words of Wisdom
Aristotle wrote in Metaphysics 1:1: "All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses..." For from sight and the other senses, says Aristotle, memories are formed; and memory derives experience, and from experience the ability to form judgments of universal truths, leading to true knowledge.
The contemplation of the beautiful and the good, therefore, is an integral task of the lover of wisdom. One views things of beauty, not for the mere pleasure they give to the senses, nor even primarily for aesthetic satisfaction of the mind, but because of their power to educate the soul, to shape the inner man according to the ideals of excellence.