--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The question you raise, 'How can such a…" description: "\"The question you raise, 'How can such a formulation lead to computations?' doesn't bother me in the least! Throughout my whole life as a mathematician,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/alexander-grothendieck-39335_bother_the-question-you-raise-how-can-such-a-fo_3090848.jpg" --- # The question you raise, 'How can such a formulation lead… ![“The question you raise, 'How can such a formulation lead to computations?' doesn't bother me in the least! Throughout my whole life as a mathematician, the possibility of making explicit, elegant computations has always come out by itself, as a byproduct of a thorough conceptual understanding of…” quote by Alexander Grothendieck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/alexander-grothendieck-39335_bother_the-question-you-raise-how-can-such-a-fo_3090848.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/alexander-grothendieck-39335_bother_the-question-you-raise-how-can-such-a-fo_3090848.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/alexander-grothendieck-39335_bother_the-question-you-raise-how-can-such-a-fo_3090848.jpg) > “The question you raise, 'How can such a formulation lead to computations?' doesn't bother me in the least! Throughout my whole life as a mathematician, the possibility of making explicit, elegant computations has always come out by itself, as a byproduct of a thorough conceptual understanding of what was going on. Thus I never bothered about whether what would come out would be suitable for this or that, but just tried to understand - and it always turned out that understanding was all that mattered.” [Alexander Grothendieck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-grothendieck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding deep concepts naturally yields elegant calculations without explicit aim. **In simple terms:** Deep insight produces useful math. Key Takeaway Prioritize conceptual clarity. Themes mathematics creativity understanding Mood curious introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - teaching - problem solving - theoretical work Key Concepts conceptual depth elegant computation Questions to Reflect On - How does conceptual insight translate to real problems? - When is explicit computation necessary? A Different Perspective May overlook practical constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Computation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computation/) [Elegant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegant/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Possibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possibility/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [I have tried to avoid long numerical computations, thereby following Riemann's postulate that proofs should be given through ideas and not voluminous computations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hilbert/i-have-tried-to-avoid-long-numerical-computations-thereby-following/) [David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hilbert/) > [Computations are everywhere, once you begin to look at things in a certain way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/computations-are-everywhere-once-you-begin-to-look-at-things-in-a/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [One of the things that I've been doing recently in my scientific research is to ask this question: Is the universe actually capable of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-lloyd/one-of-the-things-that-i-ve-been-doing-recently-in-my-scientific/) [Seth Lloyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-lloyd/) > [I have no great faith in political arithmetic, and I mean not to warrant the exactness of either of these computations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/i-have-no-great-faith-in-political-arithmetic-and-i-mean-not-to/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [If we suppose that many natural phenomena are in effect computations, the study of computer science can tell us about the kinds of natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/if-we-suppose-that-many-natural-phenomena-are-in-effect-computations/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [“Mathematics is not about numbers, equations, computations, or algorithms: it is about understanding”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mathematics-is-not-about-numbers-equations-computations-or-algorithms/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“No sociologist, for instance, should think himself too good, even in his old age, to make tens of thousands of quite trivial computations in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-weber/no-sociologist-for-instance-should-think-himself-too-good-even-in-his/) [Max Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-weber/) > [I don't believe in original melodies. 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So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/if-you-roll-dice-you-know-that-the-odds-are-one-in-six-that-the-dice/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Can you make fancy patterns of water that actually have some computation power? I'm betting that fluids are complex enough to do this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-tao/can-you-make-fancy-patterns-of-water-that-actually-have-some/) [Terence Tao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-tao/) > [ALGEBRA is a general Method of Computation by certain Signs and Symbols which have been contrived for this Purpose, and found convenient.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-maclaurin/algebra-is-a-general-method-of-computation-by-certain-signs-and/) Colin Maclaurin > [Calculators can only calculate - they cannot do mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-a-van-de-walle/calculators-can-only-calculate-they-cannot-do-mathematics/) John A. Van de Walle > [Fantastic truths perish slower... Sappho's moon will survive the moon of Armstrong. Different computations are necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/odysseas-elytis/fantastic-truths-perish-slower-sappho-s-moon-will-survive-the-moon-of/) [Odysseas Elytis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/odysseas-elytis/) ## More by Alexander Grothendieck > [The introduction of the cipher 0 or the group concept was general nonsense too, and mathematics was more or less stagnating for thousands of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-grothendieck/the-introduction-of-the-cipher-0-or-the-group-concept-was-general/) [Alexander Grothendieck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-grothendieck/) > [Fertility is measured by offspring, not by honours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-grothendieck/fertility-is-measured-by-offspring-not-by-honours/) [Alexander Grothendieck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-grothendieck/) > [A different image came to me a few weeks ago.The unknown thing to be known appeared to me as some stretch of earth orhard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-grothendieck/a-different-image-came-to-me-a-few-weeks-ago-the-unknown-thing-to-be/) [Alexander Grothendieck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-grothendieck/) > [“In fact, most of these comrades who I gauged to be more brilliant than I have gone on to become distinguished mathematicians. 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The unknown thing to be known appeared to me as some stretch of earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-grothendieck/a-different-image-came-to-me-a-few-weeks-ago-the-unknown-thing-to-be-2/) [Alexander Grothendieck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-grothendieck/) [Explore all 11 Alexander Grothendieck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-grothendieck/) ## More Bother quotes > [ Brad \[Dourif\] would tell himself that he was not intentionally trying to mimic Jack Nicholson in any way. I think that actually bothers him… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kirschner/brad-dourif-would-tell-himself-that-he-was-not-intentionally-trying/) [David Kirschner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kirschner/) > [One day I decided I would like to put a record into my system. 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And so that's why Trump's tone doesn't bother me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/i-ve-said-i-want-the-meanest-toughest-sob-i-can-find-to-protect/) [Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/) > [I was a loner as a child. I had an imaginary friend - I didn't bother with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-was-a-loner-as-a-child-i-had-an-imaginary-friend-i-didn-t-bother/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/) [Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/) > [Our students wanted to know everything: but only the newest theory seemed to them worth bothering with. 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