Circles Quote by Augustus De Morgan
“It should seem that it is easier to square the circle than to get round a mathematician.”
About This Quote
Source Treatise: Formal Logic, 1864
Mathematicians are harder to understand than impossible geometric problems.
In simple terms: Math minds are complex.
Key Takeaway
Respect intellectual difficulty.
Themes
logic
mathematics
complexity
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
educational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- teaching math
- research collaborations
- problem solving
Key Concepts
epistemology
abstraction
challenge
Questions to Reflect On
- Why are mathematicians perceived as opaque?
- How can we make mathematical thinking more accessible?
A Different Perspective
Complexity can alienate non‑specialists.
![“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)
![“Tell them you came, and saw, and looked into my eyes and saw the shadow of the guard receding. Thoughts in time and out of season, the hitchinker stood by the side of the road and levelled his thumb in the calm calculus of reason. [...] Why does my mind circle around you? Why do planets wonder…” quote by Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9ae/jim-morrison-1692_bird_tell-them-you-came-and-saw-and-looked-in_18280.jpg)