H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1 of 4 (1888)
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It was not Zeno, the founder of the Stoics, alone, who taught that the Universe evolves, and its primary substance is transformed from the state of fire into that of air, then into that of water, etc. Heraclitus of Ephesus maintained that the one principle that underlies all phenomena in Nature is fire. The intelligence that moves the Universe is fire, and fire is intelligence. And while Anaximenes said the same of air, and Thales of Miletus (600 years b.c.) of water, the Esoteric Doctrine reconciles all these philosophers, by showing that though each was right, the system of none was complete.

— H.P. Blavatsky

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "It was not Zeno, the founder of the Stoics, alone, who taught that the Universe evolves, and its primary substance is transformed from the state of fire into that of air, then into that of water, etc. Heraclitus of Ephesus maintained that the one principle that underlies all phenomena in Nature is fire. The intelligence that moves the Universe is fire, and fire is intelligence. And while Anaximenes said the same of air, and Thales of Miletus (600 years b.c.) of water, the Esoteric Doctrine reconciles all these philosophers, by showing that though each was right, the system of none was complete." in the context of "H.P. Blavatsky, The Secret Doctrine, Vol. 1 of 4 (1888)" to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Anaximenes of Miletus" (Quotes about Anaximenes) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Anaximenes of Miletus

About Anaximenes of Miletus

Anaximenes of Miletus (c. 585 – c. 528 BC) was a Greek Pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Miletus in Caria. He was reportedly a pupil of Anaximander, who himself followed the teachings of Thales in the Monist school of thought. Anaximenes is known for proposing air as the element from which all substances emanate (the material principle), for asserting that the universe is in constant motion, and for theorizing that the forms of matter change based on their rarity or density.