Anaximenes Quotes
Anaximenes of Miletus was a Greek philosopher and the third of the Milesian school, after Thales and Anaximander. Born around 585 BC, he held that air is the underlying principle of all things, becoming other substances through the processes of rarefaction and condensation. The quotes below are attributed to Anaximenes, organized by topic.
Anaximenes on Nature
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Attributed to Anaximenes:
“Just as our soul, being air, holds us together, so do breath and air encompass the whole world.”
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Attributed to Anaximenes:
“Air differs in essence in accordance with its rarity or density.”
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Attributed to Anaximenes:
“When it is dilated so as to be rarer, it becomes fire; when condensed, wind, then cloud, then water, then earth, then stones.”
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Attributed to Anaximenes:
“The earth is flat and rides upon the air.”
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Attributed to Anaximenes:
“The stars are fixed like nails in the crystalline vault of the heavens.”