Anaximenes of Miletus
He believed that air was the primary element from which all things are derived through rarefaction and condensation.
Most quoted
"When it is thinned it becomes fire, when it is thickened it becomes wind, then cloud, then water, then earth, then stones; and from these come the rest."
— from As reported by later doxographers
"The form of air is as follows: when it is most even, it is invisible to sight, but is revealed by the cold and the hot and the damp and by movement."
— from As reported by later doxographers
"When air is dilated so as to be rarer, it becomes fire; when it is condensed, it becomes wind, then cloud, then water, then earth, then stones."
— from As reported by later doxographers
All quotes by Anaximenes of Miletus (99)
The stars are like fiery leaves.
The earth is like a table.
The principle of all things is infinite air.
The air is divine.
The air is in perpetual motion.
The primary substance is air, which is infinite.
The air is the source of life.
The air is the cause of all change.
The air is the substance from which all things are made.
The air is the ultimate reality.
The air is the divine principle.
The air is the origin of the cosmos.
The air is the fundamental element.
The air is the underlying unity of all things.
The air is the source of motion.
The air is the eternal substance.
The air is the boundless principle.
The air is the primary cause.
The air is the all-encompassing element.
The air is the ultimate constituent of reality.
Contemporaries of Anaximenes of Miletus
Other Philosophys born within 50 years of Anaximenes of Miletus (-585–-528).