Note 63 — Chapter III
Albert Heyem Nachmen Baron translation
It is now well accepted that Thales cannot be regarded as propounding a materialistic theory when he declares that everything is derived from water; for with him, "water" stands not merely for the substance that we call chemically "H2O," but for the "spirit that is in water" as well—the water-spirit is the Grundprincip. (Tr.)