---
title: "2 Algebra Quotes By Tobias Dantzig"
description: "2 Algebra quotes by Tobias Dantzig. Plus more from Tobias Dantzig and more Algebra sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/tobias-dantzig-42181_abstraction_the-symbol-is-not-a-mere-formality-it-is_311597.jpg"
---

> [“The symbol is not a mere formality; it is the very essence of algebra. Without the symbol the object is a human perception and reflects all the phases under which the human senses grasp it; replaced by a symbol the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/the-symbol-is-not-a-mere-formality-it-is-the-very-essence-of-algebra/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/07c/tobias-dantzig-42181_abstraction_the-symbol-is-not-a-mere-formality-it-is_311597.jpg)

> [“The letter is susceptible of operations which enables one to transform literal expressions and thus to paraphrase any statement into a number of equivalent forms. It is this power of transformation that lifts algebra above the level of a convenient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/the-letter-is-susceptible-of-operations-which-enables-one-to/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf5/tobias-dantzig-42181_algebra_the-letter-is-susceptible-of-operations_754607.jpg)

## Other authors on Algebra

- [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b008/author-donald-trump-30060.jpg) Donald Trump 7 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/algebra/donald-trump/)

## More by Tobias Dantzig

> [Mathematics is the supreme judge; from its decisions there is no appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/mathematics-is-the-supreme-judge-from-its-decisions-there-is-no-appeal/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [“The symbol is not a mere formality; it is the very essence of algebra. Without the symbol the object is a human perception and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/the-symbol-is-not-a-mere-formality-it-is-the-very-essence-of-algebra/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [“The letter is susceptible of operations which enables one to transform literal expressions and thus to paraphrase any statement into a number of equivalent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/the-letter-is-susceptible-of-operations-which-enables-one-to/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [The harmony of the universe knows only one musical form - the legato; while the symphony of number knows only its opposite - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/the-harmony-of-the-universe-knows-only-one-musical-form-the-legato/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [The importance of infinite processes for the practical exigencies of technical life can hardly be overemphasized. Practically all applications of arithmetic to geometry, mechanics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/the-importance-of-infinite-processes-for-the-practical-exigencies-of/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [ They \[the mathematicians of the Enlightenment\] defined their terms vaguely and used their methods loosely, and the logic of their arguments was made to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/they-the-mathematicians-of-the-enlightenment-defined-their-terms/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [The practical man demands an appearance of reality at least. Always dealing in the concrete, he regards mathematical terms not as symbols or thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/the-practical-man-demands-an-appearance-of-reality-at-least-always/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [And so matching by itself is incapable of creating an art of reckoning. Without our ability to arrange things in ordered succession little progress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/and-so-matching-by-itself-is-incapable-of-creating-an-art-of/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [Are not most professional mathematicians spared all trouble incident to income?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/are-not-most-professional-mathematicians-spared-all-trouble-incident/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [“In the history of culture the discovery of zero will always stand out as one of the greatest single achievements of the human race.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/in-the-history-of-culture-the-discovery-of-zero-will-always-stand-out/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

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