Conjecture Quote by Atle Selberg
“A felicitous but unproved conjecture may be of much more consequence for mathematics than the proof of many a respectable theorem.”
About This Quote
Source Lecture: Mathematical Society Meeting, 1972
An unproven conjecture can drive research more than a proven theorem, shaping the field's direction.
In simple terms: Conjectures can be more influential than proofs.
Key Takeaway
Value bold ideas, even without proof.
Themes
mathematics
research
inspiration
Mood
analytical
curious
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- academic seminars
- collaborative research
- grant proposals
- publishing papers
Key Concepts
conjecture
theory development
problem solving
Questions to Reflect On
- What makes a conjecture compelling?
- How to balance speculation with rigor?
A Different Perspective
Some conjectures may mislead resources if they are false.
![“Physiognomy is not a guide that has been given us by which to judge of the character of men: it may only serve us for conjecture. [Fr., La physionomie n'est pas une regle qui nous soit donnee pour juger des hommes; elle nous peut servir de conjecture.]” quote by Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3cd/jean-de-la-bruyere-575_character_physiognomy-is-not-a-guide-that-has-been_207056.jpg)
![“The classes of problems which are respectively known and not known to have good algorithms are of great theoretical interest. [...] I conjecture that there is no good algorithm for the traveling salesman problem. My reasons are the same as for any mathematical conjecture: (1) It is a legitimate…” quote by Jack Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/43a/jack-edmonds-61996_algorithms_the-classes-of-problems-which-are-respec_50487.jpg)
