Beginners Quote by Augustus De Morgan
“Considerable obstacles generally present themselves to the beginner, in studying the elements of Solid Geometry, from the practice which has hitherto uniformly prevailed in this country, of never submitting to the eye of the student, the figures on whose properties he is reasoning, but of drawing perspective representations of them upon a plane. ...I hope that I shall never be obliged to have recourse to a perspective drawing of any figure whose parts are not in the same plane.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Elements of Solid Geometry, 1847
Beginners often avoid visualizing 3D shapes directly, relying on flat drawings that can mislead understanding.
In simple terms: Students skip looking at real shapes, using flat pictures instead.
Key Takeaway
Practice visualizing objects in three dimensions.
Themes
geometry
learning
visualization
Mood
reflective
instructive
Type
educational
practical
When to use this quote
- classroom teaching
- self‑study
- design drafting
Key Concepts
spatial reasoning
pedagogy
Questions to Reflect On
- How can you train your eye to see depth?
- What tools help visualize 3‑D geometry?
A Different Perspective
Flat drawings can’t convey depth, leading to misconceptions.
![“Intellectually, perspective [drawing] is a breakthrough, because here, for the first time, the physical space we live in is being depicted as ifit were an abstract, mathematical space. A less obvious innovation due to perspective is that here, for the first time, people are actually drawing…” quote by Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/563/rudy-rucker-12413_abstract_intellectually-perspective-drawing-is-a_595514.jpg)
![“If you intend to make a living at drawing, by all means learn it [the rules of perspective] now, and do not have them bothering you and your work for the rest of your life.” quote by Andrew Loomis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/778/andrew-loomis-36975_bother_if-you-intend-to-make-a-living-at-drawin_1536306.jpg)
![“Imagine a person with a gift of ridicule [He might say] First that a negative quantity has no logarithm; secondly that a negative quantity has no square root; thirdly that the first non-existent is to the second as the circumference of a circle is to the diameter.” quote by Augustus De Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/17f/augustus-de-morgan-18916_circles_imagine-a-person-with-a-gift-of-ridicule_136734.jpg)
![“As to writing another book on geometry [to replace Euclid] the middle ages would have as soon thought of composing another New Testament.” quote by Augustus De Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ed4/augustus-de-morgan-18916_age_as-to-writing-another-book-on-geometry-t_584350.jpg)
