The Bread of Knowledge
"There are three types of nutriment: primary, intermediate, and final. The primary is like bread, flesh, and all that has not yet begun to be digested." (Aphorism 7)
In this aphorism, Alfarabi is attempting to describe the process of the mind in consuming and learning from outside source material. He likens the process to the digestion of food: the primary phase is like eating the bread, the intermediate stage is like digesting the bread, and the final stage is like reaping the benefits of the nutrients in the bread. This is the process of the mind digesting information - an apt simile.
Writing
"If those actions are good things, what we attain is virtue; and if they are evil things, what we attain is vice. It is like this with arts such as writing." (Aphorism 9)
Aphorism 9 deals with the power of habits, a subject about which Aristotle has much to say in Nicomachean Ethics. Alfarabi echoes Aristotle by saying that bad habits instill vice, while good habits instill virtue deep inside a person's soul. He uses the analogical simile that this process of habituation of the soul is like practicing handwriting: if you learn and practice lettering incorrectly, you will train yourself to always write in such a way, while good practice leads to correct handwriting.
Pushing Through the Pain
"There is a difference between the one who is self-restrained and the one who is virtuous...That is like the difference between the one who endures the severe pain he encounters and the one who is not pained and does not feel pain." (Aphorism 14)
Again taking a page from the books of Aristotle, Alfarabi is explaining the difference between a truly virtuous man and a man who does virtuous things out of self-denial. A truly virtuous man does these things because he really desires to, while a self-restrained man does them in order to force himself to be virtuous. He uses the simile of a man enduring severe pain (the self-restrained man) and a man who truly feels no pain (the virtuous man) to clarify this distinction.
Governor of the Family
"He is called lord of the household and is in the household like the governor of the city is in the city." (Aphorism 24)
In this aphorism, Alfarabi is teaching his reader about the proper function of the lord of the household. By comparing him to the governor of a city, Alfarabi is providing a common, relatable example by which a reader might better understand his teachings.
Imaginative Evocation
"This is like a human being feeling disgust when he sees something that resembles what is such as to be truly disgusting, even if he is certain that what he sees is not the thing that is disgusting." (Aphorism 55)
In this paragraph, Alfarabi is explaining the nature of the skill of imaginative evocation. By telling a story or creating some sort of art, a person skilled in this area can make his audience desire either to seek something good or flee something evil. The reaction of his audience, Alfarabi says, is like that of a person feeling disgust while seeing something that resembles something disgusting - it's one step removed, and yet the feeling is instilled in the audience without ever having to interact with the disgusting thing itself.
