--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is almost as if ideas set in…" description: "\"“It is almost as if ideas set in mathematical form melt and become liquid and just as rivers can, from the most humble beginnings, flow for thousands o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/g-arnell-williams-63352_humble-beginnings_it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathemat_1656808.jpg" --- # It is almost as if ideas set in mathematical form melt and… ![“It is almost as if ideas set in mathematical form melt and become liquid and just as rivers can, from the most humble beginnings, flow for thousands of miles, through the most varied topography bringing nourishment and life with them wherever they go, so too can ideas cast in mathematical form…” quote by G. Arnell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/g-arnell-williams-63352_humble-beginnings_it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathemat_1656808.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/g-arnell-williams-63352_humble-beginnings_it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathemat_1656808.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/g-arnell-williams-63352_humble-beginnings_it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathemat_1656808.jpg) > ““It is almost as if ideas set in mathematical form melt and become liquid and just as rivers can, from the most humble beginnings, flow for thousands of miles, through the most varied topography bringing nourishment and life with them wherever they go, so too can ideas cast in mathematical form flow far from their original sources, along well-defined paths, electrifying and dramatically affecting much of what they touch. pp. xii - xiii.”” [G. Arnell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-arnell-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mathematical ideas can spread like rivers, nourishing many fields far from their origin. **In simple terms:** Math ideas flow and nourish many areas. Key Takeaway Use math to create far‑reaching impact. Themes creativity interdisciplinarity impact Mood inspired thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - education - policy design - technology development - artistic creation Key Concepts mathematics systems theory diffusion Questions to Reflect On - How can you ensure your mathematical work benefits others? - What pathways can you design for ideas to travel? A Different Perspective Complex ideas may be misunderstood or misapplied without clear communication. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Humble beginnings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humble-beginnings/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [“A key ingredient in appreciating what mathematics is about is to realize that it is concerned with ideas, understanding, and communication more than it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/a-key-ingredient-in-appreciating-what-mathematics-is-about-is-to/) [G. Arnell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-arnell-williams/) > [We have heard much about the poetry of mathematics, but very little of it has as yet been sung. The ancients had a juster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/we-have-heard-much-about-the-poetry-of-mathematics-but-very-little-of-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [Every new body of discovery is mathematical in form, because there is no other guidance we can have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/every-new-body-of-discovery-is-mathematical-in-form-because-there-is/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) > [He also always blesses humble beginnings much more than those accompanied by a lot of show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/he-also-always-blesses-humble-beginnings-much-more-than-those/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [“A diligent hawker today, can be a great tycoon tomorrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/a-diligent-hawker-today-can-be-a-great-tycoon-tomorrow/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [“Hopeful dreams - even where crack kings’ and dope fiends feast. Dust from the ash and rubble; they shine like bright stars once the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-f-hodge/hopeful-dreams-even-where-crack-kings-and-dope-fiends-feast-dust-from/) [T.F. Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-f-hodge/) > [Being on Broadway and getting a Tony nomination - this has been an incredible ride, from rather humble beginnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-fleetwood/being-on-broadway-and-getting-a-tony-nomination-this-has-been-an/) [Kate Fleetwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-fleetwood/) > [God always gives a great blessing to humble beginnings than to those that start with the chiming of bells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-de-paul/god-always-gives-a-great-blessing-to-humble-beginnings-than-to-those/) [Vincent de Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-de-paul/) > [I really feel that I had a genuinely diverse, multicultural upbringing, and I just don't find New York to be quite as diverse. Maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-ejogo/i-really-feel-that-i-had-a-genuinely-diverse-multicultural-upbringing/) [Carmen Ejogo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-ejogo/) > [Custom is a violent and treacherous school mistress. She, by little and lithe, slyly and unperceived, slips in the foot of her authority; but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/custom-is-a-violent-and-treacherous-school-mistress-she-by-little-and/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [I come from humble beginnings so I don't require a lot to feel comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rory-macdonald/i-come-from-humble-beginnings-so-i-don-t-require-a-lot-to-feel/) [Rory MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rory-macdonald/) > [Epic things start with small humble steps. Pay respect to your beginnings. And if you're just starting out, know that it's OK to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/epic-things-start-with-small-humble-steps-pay-respect-to-your/) [Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/) > [I appreciate everything. I built my career from very humble beginnings. Every job I've had, every next rung on the ladder, I appreciate because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-savage/i-appreciate-everything-i-built-my-career-from-very-humble-beginnings/) [Fred Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-savage/) > [“The elegant and beautiful Lotus flower must toil through the mud and mire of murky swamps and shadowy waters of darkness before it can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/the-elegant-and-beautiful-lotus-flower-must-toil-through-the-mud-and/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [It's hard to know exactly how people develop the characters they do. There could be people from humble beginnings that turn into jerks. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maraniss/it-s-hard-to-know-exactly-how-people-develop-the-characters-they-do/) [David Maraniss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maraniss/) ## More by G. Arnell Williams > [“A goal of this book has been to tear down in some small part these barriers to understanding by attempting to shatter the “divinity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/a-goal-of-this-book-has-been-to-tear-down-in-some-small-part-these/) [G. Arnell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-arnell-williams/) > [“Through the judicious employment of symbols, diagrams, and calculations, mathematics enables us to acquire significant facts about extremely significant things (universal laws, even), not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/through-the-judicious-employment-of-symbols-diagrams-and-calculations/) [G. Arnell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-arnell-williams/) > [“A key ingredient in appreciating what mathematics is about is to realize that it is concerned with ideas, understanding, and communication more than it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/a-key-ingredient-in-appreciating-what-mathematics-is-about-is-to/) [G. Arnell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-arnell-williams/) > [“In mathematics, by placing our fingers on a given problem, no matter how trite or pedestrian it apparently seems, we may end up measuring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/in-mathematics-by-placing-our-fingers-on-a-given-problem-no-matter/) [G. Arnell Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-arnell-williams/) [Explore all 5 G. Arnell Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-arnell-williams/) ## More Flow quotes > [Humanitarian goods and people must flow in both directions. Gaza cannot and must not be allowed to remain a prison camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/humanitarian-goods-and-people-must-flow-in-both-directions-gaza/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-wolff/memory-is-funny-once-you-hit-a-vein-the-problem-is-not-how-to/) [Tobias Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-wolff/) > [Behind every word flows energy. If you use your words to gossip or babble about what you are going to do before you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-choquette/behind-every-word-flows-energy-if-you-use-your-words-to-gossip-or/) [Sonia Choquette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-choquette/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [I take the seashell from my jeans pocket and rub my fingers across its silken, indented surface, shallow as my own open hand. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/i-take-the-seashell-from-my-jeans-pocket-and-rub-my-fingers-across/) [Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/) > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/) [Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/) > [“When we strike a balance between the challenge of an activity and our skill at performing it, when the rhythm of the work itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-gore/when-we-strike-a-balance-between-the-challenge-of-an-activity-and-our/) [Ariel Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-gore/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [I have this belief about things happening organically. I believe life has this organic flow in a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naoko-mori/i-have-this-belief-about-things-happening-organically-i-believe-life/) Naoko Mori > [Sometimes by a woodland stream he watched the water rush over the pebbled bed, its tiny modulations of bounce and flow. A woman's body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/sometimes-by-a-woodland-stream-he-watched-the-water-rush-over-the/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [David Rockefeller is the most conspicuous representative today of the ruling class, a multinational fraternity of men who shape the global economy and manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-moyers/david-rockefeller-is-the-most-conspicuous-representative-today-of-the/) [Bill Moyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-moyers/) > [The tides which flow and lapse in the Bristol Channel are often distained by the freshets of many streams falling through wooded coombes below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-williamson/the-tides-which-flow-and-lapse-in-the-bristol-channel-are-often/) [Henry Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-williamson/) > [“Life is a flow which we can either resist or go with it gracefully.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tonmoy-acharjee/life-is-a-flow-which-we-can-either-resist-or-go-with-it-gracefully/) Tonmoy Acharjee > [What a strange power the perception of beauty is! It seems to ebb and flow like some secret tide, independent alike of health and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-benson/what-a-strange-power-the-perception-of-beauty-is-it-seems-to-ebb-and/) [A. C. Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-c-benson/) [Browse all 3,282 Flow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is almost as if ideas set in mathematical form melt and become liquid and just as rivers can, from the most humble beginnings, flow for thousands of miles, through the most varied topography bringing nourishment and life with them wherever they go, so too can ideas cast in mathematical form flow far from their original sources, along well-defined paths, electrifying and dramatically affecting much of what they touch. pp. xii - xiii.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "G. Arnell Williams" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathematical-form-melt-and-become/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Flow" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathematical-form-melt-and-become/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/g-arnell-williams-63352_humble-beginnings_it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathemat_1656808.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/g-arnell-williams-63352_humble-beginnings_it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathemat_1656808.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17f/g-arnell-williams-63352_humble-beginnings_it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathemat_1656808.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is almost as if ideas set in mathematical form melt and become liquid and just as rivers can, from the…” — G. Arnell Williams", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "G. Arnell Williams", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-arnell-williams/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is almost as if ideas...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathematical-form-melt-and-become/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-arnell-williams/it-is-almost-as-if-ideas-set-in-mathematical-form-melt-and-become/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```