1001Philosophers

Archelaus Quotes on Nature

Archelaus of Athens was a Greek pre-Socratic philosopher, pupil of Anaxagoras and, according to a strong ancient tradition, the teacher of Socrates. This page collects quotes attributed to Archelaus on the topic of nature, drawn from across the philosopher's works.

Quotes

  • Attributed to Archelaus:

    “Justice and law exist by convention, not by nature.”

  • Attributed to Archelaus:

    “Living things first arose from a warm earth nourished by rain.”

  • Attributed to Archelaus:

    “Mind orders the world but is itself part of nature.”

  • Attributed to Archelaus:

    “All things are mixtures, and the qualities of each are the proportions of the mixture.”

  • Attributed to Archelaus:

    “Cold and heat are the formative powers of the cosmos.”