How does Lucretius explain the idea that nothing can come from nothing?

In his work De rerum natura (On the Nature of Things), Lucretius posits that nothing is created out of nothing and nothing can be reduced to nothing. This principle, often expressed by the Latin phrase ex nihilo nihil fit, serves as a foundational element of his atomistic physical theory.12

Lucretius explains that the universe consists of an infinite number of irreducible particles of matter, known as atoms, moving through an infinite void. According to his argument, all change in the physical world is not a process of creation or destruction, but rather the result of the addition, subtraction, or rearrangement of these changeless, everlasting atoms. Because these atoms are the fundamental, indestructible building blocks of reality, they cannot be created from nothing, nor can they be destroyed into nothingness. Consequently, all observable phenomena are simply systems of moving atoms, and their existence is governed by the constant, underlying presence of this eternal matter.1