Thales of Miletus Quotes

A collection of quotes by Thales of Miletus.

Thales of Miletus was an ancient Greek philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who is often hailed as the first philosopher in Western history. He was born in Miletus, a city in ancient Ionia (modern-day Turkey), around 624 BCE. Although not much is known about his personal life or lineage, he is considered one of the Seven Sages of Greece and a founding figure in the Ionian School of philosophy.

Thales made significant contributions to various fields, including mathematics, astronomy, and geometry. He is believed to have traveled widely and studied under ancient Egyptian priests and Babylonian astronomers, acquiring valuable knowledge that he then applied to his own research. Thales is famous for his prediction of a solar eclipse in 585 BCE, an event that was considered miraculous at the time.

As a philosopher, Thales sought to understand and explain the natural world through rational inquiry rather than religious or mythical narratives. He posited that water was the fundamental substance from which all matter was derived, thereby laying the groundwork for later philosophical ideas centered around the concept of a single, underlying element. Thales also explored principles of geometry and is said to have introduced the concept of deductive reasoning.

Though his original works have not survived, Thales's ideas and teachings influenced many ancient philosophers, laying the foundation for the development of Greek philosophy and the scientific method. His contributions to mathematics and astronomy were also highly esteemed, making him a significant figure in history.