---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A felicitous but unproved conjecture may…"
description: "\"A felicitous but unproved conjecture may be of much more consequence for mathematics than the proof of many a respectable theorem.\" — Atle Selberg"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/atle-selberg-103232_conjecture_a-felicitous-but-unproved-conjecture-may_2914228.jpg"
---

#  A felicitous but unproved conjecture may be of much more…

![“A felicitous but unproved conjecture may be of much more consequence for mathematics than the proof of many a respectable theorem.” quote by Atle Selberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/atle-selberg-103232_conjecture_a-felicitous-but-unproved-conjecture-may_2914228.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/atle-selberg-103232_conjecture_a-felicitous-but-unproved-conjecture-may_2914228.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac9/atle-selberg-103232_conjecture_a-felicitous-but-unproved-conjecture-may_2914228.jpg)

> “A felicitous but unproved conjecture may be of much more consequence for mathematics than the proof of many a respectable theorem.”

[Atle Selberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atle-selberg/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Unproved conjectures can shape mathematics more than many proven theorems.

**In simple terms:** Unproved ideas can be very influential.

Key Takeaway

Consider the impact of ideas before proof.

Themes

mathematics theory influence conjecture proof

Mood

intellectual curious analytical

Type

Conjecture:1 Consequence:0 Mathematical:1 Mathematics:1 May:0 Proof:0 Respectable:0 Theorems:0 Unproved Conjecture:1 Conjecture Consequence:0 Consequence Mathematics:0 Respectable Theorem:0

When to use this quote

- research planning
- academic discourse
- theoretical work

Key Concepts

philosophy of mathematics scientific progress intuition

Questions to Reflect On

- How do unproven ideas drive mathematical discovery?
- When should we trust a conjecture without proof?

A Different Perspective

A conjecture may lack proof yet guide research directions.

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[Conjecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conjecture/) [Conjecture Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conjecture-consequence-4212525/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Consequence Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence-mathematics-4212526/) [Mathematical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematical/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Respectable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectable/) [Respectable Theorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respectable-theorem-4212527/) [Theorems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theorems/) [Unproved Conjecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unproved-conjecture-2549046/)

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> [A mathematician experiments, amasses information, makes a conjecture, finds out that it does not work, gets confused and then tries to recover. A good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-g-krantz/a-mathematician-experiments-amasses-information-makes-a-conjecture/)

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> [“Fundamental values (such as equality and human rights) should not be held hostage to some factual conjecture about blank slates that might be refuted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-pinker/fundamental-values-such-as-equality-and-human-rights-should-not-be/)

[Stephen Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-pinker/)

> [We have to learn again that science without contact with experiments is an enterprise which is likely to go completely astray into imaginary conjecture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannes-alfven/we-have-to-learn-again-that-science-without-contact-with-experiments/)

[Hannes Alfven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannes-alfven/)

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[Clement of Alexandria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-of-alexandria/)

> [Physiognomy is not a guide that has been given us by which to judge of the character of men: it may only serve us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/physiognomy-is-not-a-guide-that-has-been-given-us-by-which-to-judge/)

[Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/)

> [I shall not mingle conjectures with certainties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/i-shall-not-mingle-conjectures-with-certainties/)

[Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/)

> [I think everybody handles things very differently and you can conjecture, but until you're put in that situation, you really don't know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-linney/i-think-everybody-handles-things-very-differently-and-you-can/)

[Laura Linney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-linney/)

> [The artist may be well advised to keep his work to himself till it is completed, because no one can readily help him or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/the-artist-may-be-well-advised-to-keep-his-work-to-himself-till-it-is/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

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[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [From the almost total absence of fossil evidence relative to the origin of the phyla, it follows that any explanation of the mechanism in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/from-the-almost-total-absence-of-fossil-evidence-relative-to-the/)

[Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/)

> [ The classes of problems which are respectively known and not known to have good algorithms are of great theoretical interest. \[...\] I conjecture that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-edmonds/the-classes-of-problems-which-are-respectively-known-and-not-known-to/)

[Jack Edmonds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-edmonds/)

> [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

## More by Atle Selberg

> [The thing is, it's very dangerous to have a fixed idea. A person with a fixed idea will always find some way of convincing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atle-selberg/the-thing-is-it-s-very-dangerous-to-have-a-fixed-idea-a-person-with-a/)

[Atle Selberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atle-selberg/)

[Explore all 2 Atle Selberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atle-selberg/)

## More Conjecture quotes

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> [ “purposely ignored by him. \[16\] Tu Mu's conjecture seems to be based” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/purposely-ignored-by-him-16-tu-mu-s-conjecture-seems-to-be-based/)

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