A linguist would be shocked to learn that if a set is not closed this does not mean that it is open, or again that "E is dense in E" does not mean the same thing as "E is dense… — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
It is true that I should have been surprised in the past to learn that Professor Hardy had joined the Oxford Group. But one could not say the adverse chance was 1:10. Mathematics is a dangerous profession; an appreciable proportion… — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary… — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
A good mathematical joke is better, and better mathematics, than a dozen mediocre papers. — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
Mathematics is a dangerous profession; an appreciable proportion of us go mad. — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
The first test of potential in mathematics is whether you can get anything out of geometry. — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
A precisian professor had the habit of saying: "... quartic polynomial ax^4+bx^3+cx^2+dx+e , where e need not be the base of the natural logarithms." — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
I recall once saying that when I had given the same lecture several times I couldn't help feeling that they really ought to know… — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
The theory of numbers is particularly liable to the accusation that some of its problems are the wrong sort of questions to ask. I… — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
The higher mental activities are pretty tough and resilient, but it is a devastating experience if the drive does stop. Some people lose it… — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
The referee said it was not acceptable, but the Press considered they could not refuse to publish a book by a professor of the… — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
I constantly meet people who are doubtful, generally without due reason, about their potential capacity [as mathematicians]. The first test is whether you got… — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
I read in the proof sheets of Hardy on Ramanujan: "As someone said, each of the positive integers was one of his personal friends."… — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
The surprising thing about this paper is that a man who could write it would. — John Edensor Littlewood Copy Share Image
![“I constantly meet people who are doubtful, generally without due reason, about their potential capacity [as mathematicians]. The first test is whether you got anything out of geometry. To have disliked or failed to get on with other [mathematical] subjects need mean nothing; much drill and…” quote by John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ad0/john-edensor-littlewood-23851_born_i-constantly-meet-people-who-are-doubtfu_1210950.jpg)
