--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most spectacular thing about Johnny…" description: "\"The most spectacular thing about Johnny [von Neumann] was not his power as a mathematician, which was great, or his insight and his clarity, but his ra..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/anonymous-1_answers_the-most-spectacular-thing-about-johnny_2032971.jpg" --- # The most spectacular thing about Johnny \[von Neumann\] was… ![“The most spectacular thing about Johnny [von Neumann] was not his power as a mathematician, which was great, or his insight and his clarity, but his rapidity; he was very, very fast. And like the modern computer, which no longer bothers to retrieve the logarithm of 11 from its memory (but…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/anonymous-1_answers_the-most-spectacular-thing-about-johnny_2032971.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/anonymous-1_answers_the-most-spectacular-thing-about-johnny_2032971.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/854/anonymous-1_answers_the-most-spectacular-thing-about-johnny_2032971.jpg) > “The most spectacular thing about Johnny \[von Neumann\] was not his power as a mathematician, which was great, or his insight and his clarity, but his rapidity; he was very, very fast. And like the modern computer, which no longer bothers to retrieve the logarithm of 11 from its memory (but, instead, computes the logarithm of 11 each time it is needed), Johnny didn't bother to remember things. He computed them. You asked him a question, and if he didn't know the answer, he thought for three seconds and would produce and answer.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Speed and willingness to recompute replace reliance on memory. **In simple terms:** He preferred calculating over remembering. Key Takeaway Embrace dynamic problem solving. Themes speed computation memory innovation efficiency Mood analytical pragmatic Type technical inspirational When to use this quote - software development - math research - teaching - strategic planning Key Concepts algorithmic thinking cognitive load mental models Questions to Reflect On - How does recomputation affect learning? - When is memorization preferable? A Different Perspective May neglect the value of stored knowledge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Answers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/answers/) [Bother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bother/) [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Insight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insight/) [Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician/) [Mathematician Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician-great-3743394/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Modern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Neumann Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neumann-power-3743392/) [Power Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power-mathematician-3743393/) [Produce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/produce/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Spectacular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spectacular/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/) [Von neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/von-neumann/) ## Related quotes > [Each generation has its few great mathematicians, and mathematics would not even notice the absence of the others. 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