--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Anaximenes ... also says that the…" description: "\"Anaximenes ... also says that the underlying nature is one and infinite ... but not undefined as Anaximander said but definite, for he identifies it as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/theophrastus-28766_air_anaximenes-also-says-that-the-underlying_456434.png" --- # Anaximenes ... also says that the underlying nature is one… ![“Anaximenes ... also says that the underlying nature is one and infinite ... but not undefined as Anaximander said but definite, for he identifies it as air; and it differs in its substantial nature by rarity and density. Being made finer it becomes fire; being made thicker it becomes wind, then…” quote by Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/theophrastus-28766_air_anaximenes-also-says-that-the-underlying_456434.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/theophrastus-28766_air_anaximenes-also-says-that-the-underlying_456434.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb3/theophrastus-28766_air_anaximenes-also-says-that-the-underlying_456434.png) > “Anaximenes ... also says that the underlying nature is one and infinite ... but not undefined as Anaximander said but definite, for he identifies it as air; and it differs in its substantial nature by rarity and density. Being made finer it becomes fire; being made thicker it becomes wind, then cloud, then (when thickened still more) water, then earth, then stones; and the rest come into being from these.” [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes Anaximenes' view that all matter originates from a single, infinite substance—air—whose qualities change with density, forming fire, wind, cloud, water, earth, and stone. **In simple terms:** All things come from air, changing with density. Key Takeaway Recognize the unity of material transformations. Themes philosophy cosmology natural science Mood curious thoughtful Type historical explanatory When to use this quote - educational lectures - science curricula - philosophical debates - environmental studies Key Concepts Aristotelian physics elemental theory continuity Questions to Reflect On - How does this ancient view compare to modern physics? - What implications does elemental transformation have for understanding nature? A Different Perspective The model oversimplifies modern atomic theory and ignores quantum principles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Rarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rarity/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) ## Related quotes > [The gifts of nature are infinite in their variety, and mind differs from mind almost as much as body from body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quintilian/the-gifts-of-nature-are-infinite-in-their-variety-and-mind-differs/) [Quintilian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quintilian/) > [Nature is an infinite sphere of which the center is everywhere and the circumference nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nature-is-an-infinite-sphere-of-which-the-center-is-everywhere-and/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [The investigation of nature is an infinite pasture-ground where all may graze, and where the more bite, the longer the grass grows, the sweeter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/the-investigation-of-nature-is-an-infinite-pasture-ground-where-all/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [Completely true to nature!' - what a lie: / How could nature ever be constrained into a picture? / The smallest bit of nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/completely-true-to-nature-what-a-lie-how-could-nature-ever-be/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Let man then contemplate the whole of nature in her full and lofty majesty, let him turn his gaze away from the lowly objects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/let-man-then-contemplate-the-whole-of-nature-in-her-full-and-lofty/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [Nature is boundless in her powers, exhausting in her variety: the powers of Art and its capabilities of variety in production are bounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-brownell-jameson/nature-is-boundless-in-her-powers-exhausting-in-her-variety-the/) [Anna Brownell Jameson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-brownell-jameson/) > [Nature is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/nature-is-an-infinite-sphere-whose-center-is-everywhere-and-whose/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“Mother Nature, in all her infinite wisdom, has instilled in each of us a powerfu...l biological instinct to reproduce. 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but if you have had any education, you are behaving like a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/if-you-are-an-ignorant-man-you-are-acting-wisely-but-if-you-have-had/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [Remember that life holds out many pleasing deceits to us by the vanity of glory; for that when we are beginning to live, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/remember-that-life-holds-out-many-pleasing-deceits-to-us-by-the/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [Waste of time is the most extravagant and costly of all expenses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/waste-of-time-is-the-most-extravagant-and-costly-of-all-expenses/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [One may define flattery as a base companionship which is most advantageous to the flatterer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/one-may-define-flattery-as-a-base-companionship-which-is-most/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [Slovenliness is a lazy and beastly negligence of a man's own person, whereby he becomes so sordid as to be offensive to those about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/slovenliness-is-a-lazy-and-beastly-negligence-of-a-man-s-own-person/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [We must consider the distinctive characters and the general nature of plants from the point of view of their morphology , their behavior under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/we-must-consider-the-distinctive-characters-and-the-general-nature-of/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [Superstition would seem to be simply cowardice in regard to the supernatural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/superstition-would-seem-to-be-simply-cowardice-in-regard-to-the/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [Ah, yes, superstition: it would appear to be cowardice in face of the supernatural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/ah-yes-superstition-it-would-appear-to-be-cowardice-in-face-of-the/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [Alcmaeon was the first to define the difference between man and animals, saying that man differs from the latter in the fact that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/alcmaeon-was-the-first-to-define-the-difference-between-man-and/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [Our costliest expenditure is time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/our-costliest-expenditure-is-time/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [Love is the affection of a mind that has nothing better to engage it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/love-is-the-affection-of-a-mind-that-has-nothing-better-to-engage-it/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) > [An orator without judgment is a horse without a bridle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophrastus/an-orator-without-judgment-is-a-horse-without-a-bridle/) [Theophrastus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) [Explore all 19 Theophrastus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophrastus/) ## More Air quotes > [I will be a tireless advocate for our District's defense priorities including Sheppard Air Force Base, Pantex, Bell Helicopter, universities conducting important research, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronny-jackson/i-will-be-a-tireless-advocate-for-our-district-s-defense-priorities/) [Ronny Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronny-jackson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [If U.S. air, naval, missile, and ground forces were not in and around Korea, and if we were not treaty-bound to fight alongside South…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/if-u-s-air-naval-missile-and-ground-forces-were-not-in-and-around/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. 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