Will Durant, interpreting the philosophy of Aristotle, gets to the very core of character and achievement. Our identity and our outcomes are not defined by occasional grand gestures, but by the small, daily actions we perform automatically.

The word "repeatedly" is key. It's the pattern that forges our reality. You are not what you do once in a while; you are what you do every day. Therefore, excellence is not a single brilliant performance; it is the product of ingrained habits of discipline, focus, and quality that are practiced with unwavering consistency.

This quote empowers us to focus on our systems and routines. To achieve excellence, we must forget about a single perfect act and instead concentrate on building the daily habits that will make excellence our default state.