--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Without doubt, matter is unlimited in…" description: "\"Without doubt, matter is unlimited in extent, and, in this sense, infinite; and the forces of Nature mould it into an innumerable number of worlds. Wou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/william-batchelder-greene-2186_astonishing_without-doubt-matter-is-unlimited-in-ext_2369676.jpg" --- # Without doubt, matter is unlimited in extent, and, in this… ![“Without doubt, matter is unlimited in extent, and, in this sense, infinite; and the forces of Nature mould it into an innumerable number of worlds. Would it be at all astonishing if, from the universal dice-box, out of an innumberable number of throws, there should be thrown out one world…” quote by William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/william-batchelder-greene-2186_astonishing_without-doubt-matter-is-unlimited-in-ext_2369676.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/william-batchelder-greene-2186_astonishing_without-doubt-matter-is-unlimited-in-ext_2369676.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a8/william-batchelder-greene-2186_astonishing_without-doubt-matter-is-unlimited-in-ext_2369676.jpg) > “Without doubt, matter is unlimited in extent, and, in this sense, infinite; and the forces of Nature mould it into an innumerable number of worlds. Would it be at all astonishing if, from the universal dice-box, out of an innumberable number of throws, there should be thrown out one world infinitely perfect? Nay, does not the calculus of probabilities prove to us that one such world out of an infinite number, must be produced of necessity?” [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It argues that with infinite possibilities, a perfectly ideal world is statistically inevitable. **In simple terms:** Infinite possibilities imply a perfect world may exist. Key Takeaway Consider the odds of perfection. Themes philosophy probability optimism Mood speculative inquisitive Type philosophical theoretical When to use this quote - theoretical physics - philosophical debate - future speculation Key Concepts infinity probability calculus cosmology Questions to Reflect On - Is statistical inevitability meaningful? - How does this affect our actions? A Different Perspective Infinite assumptions may be speculative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Astonishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) [Boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) [Calculus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/calculus/) [Dice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dice/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Force](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/force/) [Forces of nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forces-of-nature/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite/) [Infinite Forces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinite-forces-1029987/) [Infinitely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infinitely/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Matter Unlimited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter-unlimited-5832025/) [Mould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mould/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Probability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probability/) [Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prove/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Thrown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrown/) [Universal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universal/) [Unlimited](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlimited/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Infinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-infinite-898199/) [World Infinitely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-infinitely-2084993/) ## Related quotes > [The world is infinitely more interesting than any of my opinions about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-nixon/the-world-is-infinitely-more-interesting-than-any-of-my-opinions/) [Nicholas Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-nixon/) > [“Be infinitely curious and creative for the world is infinitely vast and beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kota-yamada/be-infinitely-curious-and-creative-for-the-world-is-infinitely-vast/) [Kota Yamada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kota-yamada/) > [Throughout the infinite, the forces are in a perfect balance, and hence the energy of a single thought may determine the motion of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/throughout-the-infinite-the-forces-are-in-a-perfect-balance-and-hence/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [“Nature may reach the same result in many ways. Like a wave in the physical world, in the infinite ocean of the medium which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/nature-may-reach-the-same-result-in-many-ways-like-a-wave-in-the/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [ he beauty of this world \[of comics\] is there are so many stories to tell, and there's so many wonderful characters. Wonderful characters we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-heller/he-beauty-of-this-world-of-comics-is-there-are-so-many-stories-to/) [Bruno Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-heller/) > [The world is infinitely more complex than it appeared to me 15 years ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-denton/the-world-is-infinitely-more-complex-than-it-appeared-to-me-15-years/) [Andrew Denton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-denton/) > [The world is an infinitely fascinating, tragic and humorous place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-figgis/the-world-is-an-infinitely-fascinating-tragic-and-humorous-place/) [Mike Figgis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-figgis/) > [“It is only one world in infinite universes where this impossible happiness exists, but that is what makes it so valuable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-only-one-world-in-infinite-universes-where-this-impossible/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The first law of everything is that the world don’t usually give a fuck about our problems — we are our own little thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-first-law-of-everything-is-that-the-world-don-t-usually-give-a/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“When she was taken from me it was like the death of a world, an infinite number of futures coming to an end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-connolly/when-she-was-taken-from-me-it-was-like-the-death-of-a-world-an/) [John Connolly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-connolly/) > [In a world of infinite choice people are struggling to figure out what to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-world-of-infinite-choice-people-are-struggling-to-figure-out/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“I believe in a world of infinite possibilities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/i-believe-in-a-world-of-infinite-possibilities/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Then you'll see the world as it is—infinite”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-craire/then-you-ll-see-the-world-as-it-is-infinite/) [Cassandra Craire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-craire/) > [The plan of this world is infinite similarity and yet infinite variety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/the-plan-of-this-world-is-infinite-similarity-and-yet-infinite-variety/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [On Shabbat something happens to the world - the world becomes infinite again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shlomo-carlebach/on-shabbat-something-happens-to-the-world-the-world-becomes-infinite/) [Shlomo Carlebach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shlomo-carlebach/) ## More by William Batchelder Greene > [God -- if he really exist -- is good, alive, self-conscious, and governs all things according to his benevolent and holy providence; but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/god-if-he-really-exist-is-good-alive-self-conscious-and-governs-all/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Thou slanting rain! Thou Hebe of the Skies, That pours out drink to Earth; thou faithful wife That with moist tears embraces her prone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/thou-slanting-rain-thou-hebe-of-the-skies-that-pours-out-drink-to/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [If it be true that God and man are in one image or likeness (and the affirmation that they are so is not unplausible)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/if-it-be-true-that-god-and-man-are-in-one-image-or-likeness-and-the/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [For man, the death of the body is inevitable, and is determined by time and circumstance; but, with proper precaution, the death of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/for-man-the-death-of-the-body-is-inevitable-and-is-determined-by-time/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [How Time doth lash us with sharp pains, Set loose our teeth, snatch wisps of hair, dim eyes -- And finally bend our backs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/how-time-doth-lash-us-with-sharp-pains-set-loose-our-teeth-snatch/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Man's life is entirely in his operations, which may all be classed under three heads: he thinks, he feels, and he acts -- these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/man-s-life-is-entirely-in-his-operations-which-may-all-be-classed/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [The rule of God is not tyranny, for it does not partake of a political or governmental character -- it is not a rule…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/the-rule-of-god-is-not-tyranny-for-it-does-not-partake-of-a-political/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [The Federal Government is rendered weak to do wrong, and powerful to do right: for, as soon as it begins to go wrong, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/the-federal-government-is-rendered-weak-to-do-wrong-and-powerful-to/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Hide what you have to hide And tell what you have to tell You'll see your problems multiplied If you continually decide To faithfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/hide-what-you-have-to-hide-and-tell-what-you-have-to-tell-you-ll-see/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Truth was truth, whether I darkened my eyes to it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/truth-was-truth-whether-i-darkened-my-eyes-to-it-or-not/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Marriage may be polygamic, monogamic, polyandric, complex according to the Oneida pattern, or other, and is true marriage (I do not say perfect marriage)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/marriage-may-be-polygamic-monogamic-polyandric-complex-according-to/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Some men -- not all men -- see always before them an ideal, a mental picture if you will, of what they ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/some-men-not-all-men-see-always-before-them-an-ideal-a-mental-picture/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Faith is reason denying absurdity in the face of the unknown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/faith-is-reason-denying-absurdity-in-the-face-of-the-unknown/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Life is a waste of woes, And Death a river deep, That ever onward flows, Troubled, yet asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/life-is-a-waste-of-woes-and-death-a-river-deep-that-ever-onward-flows/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) > [Man, having an ideal before him of that which he ought to be, and is not, and acting as though he possessed the character…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-batchelder-greene/man-having-an-ideal-before-him-of-that-which-he-ought-to-be-and-is/) [William Batchelder Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) [Explore all 28 William Batchelder Greene quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-batchelder-greene/) ## More Astonishing quotes > [It's astonishing what you learn and feel and see along the way. That's why a reporter's job, as you know, is such a joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-wallace/it-s-astonishing-what-you-learn-and-feel-and-see-along-the-way-that-s/) [Mike Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-wallace/) > [A man may perform astonishing feats and comprehend a vast amount of knowledge, and yet have no understanding of himself. But suffering directs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/a-man-may-perform-astonishing-feats-and-comprehend-a-vast-amount-of/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [A first novel of astonishing force, craft and beauty, The Headmaster's Wager conjures up a dizzyingly evocative wartime Saigon in the story of Percival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-y-k-lee-2/a-first-novel-of-astonishing-force-craft-and-beauty-the-headmaster-s/) [Janice Y. K. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-y-k-lee-2/) > [“What is astonishing is that we, who had no idea how anything was going to turn out, now know exactly what happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/what-is-astonishing-is-that-we-who-had-no-idea-how-anything-was-going/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [It's a great historical joke that when the Spanish met the Aztecs, it was a blind date made in serve-you-right heaven. At the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-gill/it-s-a-great-historical-joke-that-when-the-spanish-met-the-aztecs-it/) [A. A. Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-gill/) > [It was astonishing when at one point, I got the idea of how to make artifical clouds with a collaborator, we had pictures made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/it-was-astonishing-when-at-one-point-i-got-the-idea-of-how-to-make/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [Although there may be nothing new under the sun, what is old is new to us and so rich and astonishing that we never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/although-there-may-be-nothing-new-under-the-sun-what-is-old-is-new-to/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [The astonishing thing for me is that I had a career before politics and I never thought about my colour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-gyimah/the-astonishing-thing-for-me-is-that-i-had-a-career-before-politics/) [Sam Gyimah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-gyimah/) > [“There is no denying it; one must admit that there is something astonishing about Christianity. 'It is because you were born in it,' they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/there-is-no-denying-it-one-must-admit-that-there-is-something/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [It's Twitter's combination of simplicity and complexity that is astonishing in the same way that minimalist sculpture was inspiring and enlightening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-goldsmith/it-s-twitter-s-combination-of-simplicity-and-complexity-that-is/) [Kenneth Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-goldsmith/) > [All that we don't know is astonishing. Even more astonishing is what passes for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/all-that-we-don-t-know-is-astonishing-even-more-astonishing-is-what/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Still more astonishing is that world of rigorous fantasy which we call mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-bateson/still-more-astonishing-is-that-world-of-rigorous-fantasy-which-we/) [Gregory Bateson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-bateson/) > [“No one ever said aloud any of the kinds of things he was so constantly thinking, because no one in the parish, not Alice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-von-arnim/no-one-ever-said-aloud-any-of-the-kinds-of-things-he-was-so/) [Elizabeth von Arnim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-von-arnim/) > [If you worry less about what people think of you, you can pick up an astonishing amount of information about them. You no longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/if-you-worry-less-about-what-people-think-of-you-you-can-pick-up-an/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [The Bureau of Justice reports that one in three black male babies born this century will go to jail or prison - that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-stevenson/the-bureau-of-justice-reports-that-one-in-three-black-male-babies/) [Bryan Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-stevenson/) [Browse all 410 Astonishing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/astonishing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Without doubt, matter is unlimited in extent, and, in this sense, infinite; and the forces of Nature mould it into an innumerable number of worlds. 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