--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mathematics is not a contemplative but a…" description: "\"Mathematics is not a contemplative but a creative subject; no one can draw much consolation from it when he has lost the power or the desire to create;..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/g-h-hardy-8763_being-silly_mathematics-is-not-a-contemplative-but-a_2774827.jpg" --- # Mathematics is not a contemplative but a creative subject… ![“Mathematics is not a contemplative but a creative subject; no one can draw much consolation from it when he has lost the power or the desire to create; and that is apt to happen to a mathematician rather soon. It is a pity, but in that case he does not matter a great deal anyhow, and it would be…” quote by G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/g-h-hardy-8763_being-silly_mathematics-is-not-a-contemplative-but-a_2774827.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/g-h-hardy-8763_being-silly_mathematics-is-not-a-contemplative-but-a_2774827.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/476/g-h-hardy-8763_being-silly_mathematics-is-not-a-contemplative-but-a_2774827.jpg) > “Mathematics is not a contemplative but a creative subject; no one can draw much consolation from it when he has lost the power or the desire to create; and that is apt to happen to a mathematician rather soon. It is a pity, but in that case he does not matter a great deal anyhow, and it would be silly to bother about him.” [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hardy argues that mathematics thrives on creative drive, not mere contemplation, and that loss of creative desire diminishes a mathematician’s relevance. **In simple terms:** Math needs creativity, not just thought. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity, not just analysis. Themes creativity purpose identity Mood reflective serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - research - teaching - career transition - personal fulfillment Key Concepts existentialism motivation Questions to Reflect On - How do you sustain creative spark? - What happens when purpose fades? A Different Perspective Creativity can wane, leading to disengagement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-silly/) [Bother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bother/) [Cases](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cases/) [Consolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consolation/) [Contemplative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contemplative/) [Creative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creative/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Draws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/draws/) [Happen Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen-mathematician-3267921/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician/) [Mathematician Soon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician-soon-3267920/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Mathematics Contemplative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics-contemplative-3267919/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silly/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [Mathematics is not a contemplative but a creative subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/mathematics-is-not-a-contemplative-but-a-creative-subject/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [Finding God in all things is not an 'empirical eureka.' When we desire to encounter God, we would like to verify him immediately by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/finding-god-in-all-things-is-not-an-empirical-eureka-when-we-desire/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [If a man is in any sense a real mathematician, then it is a hundred to one that his mathematics will be far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/if-a-man-is-in-any-sense-a-real-mathematician-then-it-is-a-hundred-to/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [Oh, don't be silly - EVERYONE wants this. Everyone wants to be \*us\*.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-weisberger/oh-don-t-be-silly-everyone-wants-this-everyone-wants-to-be-us/) [Lauren Weisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-weisberger/) > [Ok…so I really want a quote with LOTS of comments ^^ hehe sooooo, if your reading this and want to help me out, lol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/treasured4evr/ok-so-i-really-want-a-quote-with-lots-of-comments-hehe-sooooo-if-your/) [Treasured4Evr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/treasured4evr/) > [Hey you! Don't be silly! Put a rubber on your willie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/hey-you-don-t-be-silly-put-a-rubber-on-your-willie/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [ I really enjoyed stepping into that side of \[princess Margaret\] and being silly and naughty and fun. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-kirby/i-really-enjoyed-stepping-into-that-side-of-princess-margaret-and/) [Vanessa Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-kirby/) > [I like being silly cause it makes everything better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-being-silly-cause-it-makes-everything-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bunny slippers remind me of who I am.You can't get a swelled head if you wear bunny slippers. You can't lose your sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/bunny-slippers-remind-me-of-who-i-am-you-can-t-get-a-swelled-head-if/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [When I get tired I start being extra silly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmitb/when-i-get-tired-i-start-being-extra-silly/) [ShmitB](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shmitb/) > [Being silly is still allowed, not excluded by adulthood. What's excluded by adulthood is thoughtlessness, so be thoughtful and silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/being-silly-is-still-allowed-not-excluded-by-adulthood-what-s/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [Don't be silly and don't waste your time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/don-t-be-silly-and-don-t-waste-your-time/) [Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/) > [Everyone feels like this at one point in their lives and sometimes atleast once a day :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-feels-like-this-at-one-point-in-their-lives-and-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know that sometimes when you are really worried about something, it ends up not being nearly as bad as you think it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-moriarty/i-know-that-sometimes-when-you-are-really-worried-about-something-it/) [Laura Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-moriarty/) > [I love being my silly ole self! Lifes a lot better when you have a good sense of humor and you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-being-my-silly-ole-self-lifes-a-lot-better-when-you-have-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by G. H. Hardy > [Cricket is the only game where you are playing against eleven of the other side and ten of your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/cricket-is-the-only-game-where-you-are-playing-against-eleven-of-the/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [The "seriousness" of a mathematical theorem lies, not in its practical consequences, which are usually negligible, but in the significance of the mathematical ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/the-seriousness-of-a-mathematical-theorem-lies-not-in-its-practical/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [No discovery of mine has made, or is likely to make, directly or indirectly, for good or ill, the least difference to the amenity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/no-discovery-of-mine-has-made-or-is-likely-to-make-directly-or/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [It is a melancholy experience for a professional mathematician to find himself writing about mathematics. The function of a mathematician is to do something,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/it-is-a-melancholy-experience-for-a-professional-mathematician-to/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/beauty-is-the-first-test-there-is-no-permanent-place-in-the-world-for/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [ They \[formulae 1.10 - 1.12 of Ramanujan\] must be true because, if they were not true, no one would have had the imagination to invent them. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/they-formulae-1-10-1-12-of-ramanujan-must-be-true-because-if-they/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [When the world is mad, a mathematician may find in mathematics an incomparable anodyne. For mathematics is, of all the arts and sciences, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/when-the-world-is-mad-a-mathematician-may-find-in-mathematics-an/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [Asked if he believes in one G-d, a mathematician answered: "Yes, up to isomorphism".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/asked-if-he-believes-in-one-g-d-a-mathematician-answered-yes-up-to/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [No one should ever be bored. … One can be horrified, or disgusted, but one can’t be bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/no-one-should-ever-be-bored-one-can-be-horrified-or-disgusted-but-one/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [I propose to put forward an apology for mathematics; and I may be told that it needs none, since there are now few studies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/i-propose-to-put-forward-an-apology-for-mathematics-and-i-may-be-told/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [For my part, it is difficult for me to say what I owe to Ramanujan - his originality has been a constant source of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/for-my-part-it-is-difficult-for-me-to-say-what-i-owe-to-ramanujan-his/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/a-mathematician-like-a-painter-or-poet-is-a-maker-of-patterns-if-his/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [A month's intelligent instruction in the theory of numbes ought to be twice as instructive, twice as useful, and at least 10 times as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/a-month-s-intelligent-instruction-in-the-theory-of-numbes-ought-to-be/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [The fact is there are few more popular subjects than mathematics. Most people have some appreciation of mathematics, just as most people can enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/the-fact-is-there-are-few-more-popular-subjects-than-mathematics-most/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) > [If intellectual curiosity, professional pride, and ambition are the dominant incentives to research, then assuredly no one has a fairer chance of gratifying them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-h-hardy/if-intellectual-curiosity-professional-pride-and-ambition-are-the/) [G. H. Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) [Explore all 78 G. H. Hardy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-h-hardy/) ## More Being silly quotes > [I love being my silly ole self! Lifes a lot better when you have a good sense of humor and you smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-being-my-silly-ole-self-lifes-a-lot-better-when-you-have-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know that sometimes when you are really worried about something, it ends up not being nearly as bad as you think it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-moriarty/i-know-that-sometimes-when-you-are-really-worried-about-something-it/) [Laura Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-moriarty/) > [Everyone feels like this at one point in their lives and sometimes atleast once a day :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-feels-like-this-at-one-point-in-their-lives-and-sometimes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't be silly and don't waste your time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-newhart/don-t-be-silly-and-don-t-waste-your-time/) [Bob Newhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-newhart/) > [Being silly is still allowed, not excluded by adulthood. What's excluded by adulthood is thoughtlessness, so be thoughtful and silly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hank-green/being-silly-is-still-allowed-not-excluded-by-adulthood-what-s/) [Hank Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hank-green/) > [When I get tired I start being extra silly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmitb/when-i-get-tired-i-start-being-extra-silly/) [ShmitB](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shmitb/) > [Bunny slippers remind me of who I am.You can't get a swelled head if you wear bunny slippers. You can't lose your sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/bunny-slippers-remind-me-of-who-i-am-you-can-t-get-a-swelled-head-if/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I like being silly cause it makes everything better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-like-being-silly-cause-it-makes-everything-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ I really enjoyed stepping into that side of \[princess Margaret\] and being silly and naughty and fun. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-kirby/i-really-enjoyed-stepping-into-that-side-of-princess-margaret-and/) [Vanessa Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-kirby/) > [Hey you! Don't be silly! Put a rubber on your willie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/hey-you-don-t-be-silly-put-a-rubber-on-your-willie/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Ok…so I really want a quote with LOTS of comments ^^ hehe sooooo, if your reading this and want to help me out, lol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/treasured4evr/ok-so-i-really-want-a-quote-with-lots-of-comments-hehe-sooooo-if-your/) [Treasured4Evr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/treasured4evr/) > [Oh, don't be silly - EVERYONE wants this. Everyone wants to be \*us\*.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-weisberger/oh-don-t-be-silly-everyone-wants-this-everyone-wants-to-be-us/) [Lauren Weisberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-weisberger/) > [Don’t be silly. Loving is easy. It’s finding someone to love you back that’s hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/don-t-be-silly-loving-is-easy-it-s-finding-someone-to-love-you-back/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [Kids love to be silly, they love to laugh, so I think it was natural for my kids to like the sort of books…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ian-black/kids-love-to-be-silly-they-love-to-laugh-so-i-think-it-was-natural/) [Michael Ian Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ian-black/) > [Don't move your money from Bear! That's just being silly! Don't be silly!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cramer/don-t-move-your-money-from-bear-that-s-just-being-silly-don-t-be-silly/) [Jim Cramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cramer/) [Browse all 170 Being silly quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-silly/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mathematics is not a contemplative but a creative subject; no one can draw much consolation from it when he has lost the power or the desire to create; and that is apt to happen to a mathematician rather soon. It is a pity, but in that case he does not matter a great deal anyhow, and it would be silly to bother about him.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "G. H. 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