Mathematical Quotes

710 Mathematical quotes by 419 unique authors

Man follows only phantoms. — Pierre-Simon Laplace
Nothing is more important than to see the sources of invention which are, in my opinion more interesting than the inventions themselves. — Gottfried Leibniz
The art of discovering the causes of phenomena, or true hypothesis, is like the art of decyphering, in which an ingenious conjecture greatly shortens the… — Gottfried Leibniz
Inequality is the cause of all local movements. — Leonardo da Vinci
It is possible for a mathematician to be "too strong" for a given occasion. He forces through, where another might be driven to a different,… — John Edensor Littlewood
The infinitely competent can be uncreative. — John Edensor Littlewood
The concept of number is the obvious distinction between the beast and man. Thanks to number, the cry becomes a song, noise acquires rhythm, the… — Joseph de Maistre
Neither you nor I nor anybody else knows what makes a mathematician tick. It is not a question of cleverness. I know many mathematicians who… — Louis J. Mordell
The description of right lines and circles, upon which geometry is founded, belongs to mechanics. Geometry does not teach us to draw these lines, but… — Isaac Newton
Our notion of symmetry is derived form the human face. Hence, we demand symmetry horizontally and in breadth only, not vertically nor in depth. — Blaise Pascal
Let no one say that I have said nothing new... the arrangement of the subject is new. When we play tennis, we both play with… — Blaise Pascal
Reverend Fathers, my letters did not usually follow each other at such close intervals, nor were they so long.... This one would not be so… — Blaise Pascal
[I feel] engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces whereof I know nothing, and which know nothing of me, I am terrified The eternal silence… — Blaise Pascal
The mathematician, carried along on his flood of symbols, dealing apparently with purely formal truths, may still reach results of endless importance for our description… — Karl Pearson
... being perpetually charmed by his familiar siren, that is, by his geometry, he neglected to eat and drink and took no care of his… — Plutarch
To speak algebraically, Mr. M. is execrable, but Mr. G. is (x + 1)- ecrable. — Edgar Allan Poe
Another advantage of a mathematical statement is that it is so definite that it might be definitely wrong; and if it is found to be… — Lewis Fry Richardson
To think I have spent my life on absolute muck. — Bertrand Russell
It is a pleasant surprise to him (the pure mathematician) and an added problem if he finds that the arts can use his calculations, or… — George Santayana
I cannot do it without comp[u]ters. — William Shakespeare
I am ill at these numbers. — William Shakespeare
The control of large numbers is possible, and like unto that of small numbers, if we subdivide them. — Sun Tzu
Cell and tissue, shell and bone, leaf and flower, are so many portions of matter, and it is in obedience to the laws of physics… — D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson
This paper gives wrong solutions to trivial problems. The basic error,however, is not new. — Clifford Truesdell
No Roman ever died in contemplation over a geometrical diagram. — Alfred North Whitehead

Who Wrote These Mathematical Quotes

419 authors contributed a total of 710 Mathematical Quotes, led by these top contributors: