--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Had Mittag-Leffler had his way, I should…" description: "\"Had Mittag-Leffler had his way, I should have to wait until the year 1984, which to me seemed too great a demand!\" — Georg Cantor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/georg-cantor-20252_demand_had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should_2971349.jpg" --- # Had Mittag-Leffler had his way, I should have to wait… ![“Had Mittag-Leffler had his way, I should have to wait until the year 1984, which to me seemed too great a demand!” quote by Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/georg-cantor-20252_demand_had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should_2971349.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/georg-cantor-20252_demand_had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should_2971349.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/georg-cantor-20252_demand_had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should_2971349.jpg) > “Had Mittag-Leffler had his way, I should have to wait until the year 1984, which to me seemed too great a demand!” [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cantor critiques the impracticality of waiting for a distant future date, highlighting the absurdity of overly ambitious timelines. **In simple terms:** Avoid unrealistic deadlines. Key Takeaway Set realistic goals. Themes time planning philosophy Mood analytical skeptical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - project management - academic research - personal goals Key Concepts finite vs infinite pragmatism Questions to Reflect On - What timeline feels achievable for you? - How do you handle long‑term aspirations? A Different Perspective Some goals truly require long horizons. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Demand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) ## Related quotes > [I had a similar year back in 1984 when I felt like I couldn't lose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcenroe/i-had-a-similar-year-back-in-1984-when-i-felt-like-i-couldn-t-lose/) [John McEnroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mcenroe/) > [Year - 1984 Place - India (most populous Democracy in the world), two cold-blooded tragedies within a month in winters of 1984 killed thousands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohit-sharma/year-1984-place-india-most-populous-democracy-in-the-world-two-cold/) [Mohit Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohit-sharma/) > [There is a great demand everywhere in the world for individual mobility. People like the fact they are not on somebody else's schedule. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-a-great-demand-everywhere-in-the-world-for-individual/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes you're in great demand. Then suddenly your career hits the breaks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-sinise/sometimes-you-re-in-great-demand-then-suddenly-your-career-hits-the/) [Gary Sinise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-sinise/) > [A great demand today is that work should be interesting. This is a recent development in human history, and workers in field or factory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-watson/a-great-demand-today-is-that-work-should-be-interesting-this-is-a/) George Watson > [In opera, as with any performing art, to be in great demand and to command high fees you must be good of course, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/in-opera-as-with-any-performing-art-to-be-in-great-demand-and-to/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [I've been fortunate enough to always have plenty of work, offers to go out and play shows. The hardest thing I have to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-prine/i-ve-been-fortunate-enough-to-always-have-plenty-of-work-offers-to-go/) [John Prine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-prine/) > [Be careful. Wait out your year. Come home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-day-george/be-careful-wait-out-your-year-come-home/) [Jessica Day George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-day-george/) > [He said everything was going to be alright and left me some clues. Does this mean I need to wait another year with these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-surette/he-said-everything-was-going-to-be-alright-and-left-me-some-clues/) [Jade Surette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-surette/) > [Yes, it gets better, but I also understand that saying to a 15-year-old that, 'Oh, don't worry, just wait a year', is like saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-mercer/yes-it-gets-better-but-i-also-understand-that-saying-to-a-15-year-old/) [Rick Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-mercer/) > [I couldn't be accepted into tennis school because I was too young. I had to wait a year until I was four before they'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garbine-muguruza/i-couldn-t-be-accepted-into-tennis-school-because-i-was-too-young-i/) [Garbine Muguruza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garbine-muguruza/) > [I don't want to wait more than a year and a half or two years between books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-cannon/i-don-t-want-to-wait-more-than-a-year-and-a-half-or-two-years-between/) [Max Cannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-cannon/) > [“Wait until a year from now where you say, “Holy fuck, I can’t believe I was going to kill myself before I etcetera’d… before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-brown/wait-until-a-year-from-now-where-you-say-holy-fuck-i-can-t-believe-i/) Derrick Brown > [I guess show business is a lot like baseball: "Wait until next year!" You just never know. Some of the shittiest shows I've ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-fuller/i-guess-show-business-is-a-lot-like-baseball-wait-until-next-year-you/) [Kurt Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-fuller/) > [Mindset changes are not happening from change in legislation. Like desegregation. We legally got rid of legal segregation, but schools are still segregated. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-meier/mindset-changes-are-not-happening-from-change-in-legislation-like/) [Deborah Meier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-meier/) ## More by Georg Cantor > [In mathematics, the art of asking questions is more valuable than solving problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/in-mathematics-the-art-of-asking-questions-is-more-valuable-than/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [I realise that in this undertaking I place myself in a certain opposition to views widely held concerning the mathematical infinite and to opinions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/i-realise-that-in-this-undertaking-i-place-myself-in-a-certain/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [I am so in favor of the actual infinite that instead of admitting that Nature abhors it, as is commonly said, I hold that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/i-am-so-in-favor-of-the-actual-infinite-that-instead-of-admitting/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [The potential infinite means nothing other than an undetermined, variable quantity, always remaining finite, which has to assume values that either become smaller than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/the-potential-infinite-means-nothing-other-than-an-undetermined/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [My theory stands as firm as a rock; every arrow directed against it will return quickly to its archer. How do I know this?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/my-theory-stands-as-firm-as-a-rock-every-arrow-directed-against-it/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [I entertain no doubts as to the truths of the tranfinites, which I recognized with God's help and which, in their diversity, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/i-entertain-no-doubts-as-to-the-truths-of-the-tranfinites-which-i/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [What I assert and believe to have demonstrated in this and earlier works is that following the finite there is a transfinite (which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/what-i-assert-and-believe-to-have-demonstrated-in-this-and-earlier/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [The essence of mathematics lies in its freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/the-essence-of-mathematics-lies-in-its-freedom/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [“The essence of mathematics is in its freedom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/the-essence-of-mathematics-is-in-its-freedom/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [A false conclusion once arrived at and widely accepted is not easily dislodged and the less it is understood the more tenaciously it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/a-false-conclusion-once-arrived-at-and-widely-accepted-is-not-easily/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [ The old and oft-repeated proposition "Totum est majus sua parte" \[the whole is larger than the part\] may be applied without proof only in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/the-old-and-oft-repeated-proposition-totum-est-majus-sua-parte-the/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [In mathematics the art of proposing a question must be held of higher value than solving it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/in-mathematics-the-art-of-proposing-a-question-must-be-held-of-higher/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [My beautiful proof lies all in ruins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/my-beautiful-proof-lies-all-in-ruins/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [Mathematics is entirely free in its development, and its concepts are only linked by the necessity of being consistent, and are co-ordinated with concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/mathematics-is-entirely-free-in-its-development-and-its-concepts-are/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) > [Great innovation only happens when people aren't afraid to do things differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/great-innovation-only-happens-when-people-aren-t-afraid-to-do-things/) [Georg Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) [Explore all 30 Georg Cantor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/) ## More Demand quotes > [Our times demand the declaration of the world's resources as the common heritage of all people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacque-fresco/our-times-demand-the-declaration-of-the-world-s-resources-as-the/) [Jacque Fresco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacque-fresco/) > [Parents who are stressed or disturbed will have more difficulty in meeting their children's needs. Parents who have little support--from friends, relatives, neighbors, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-kamerman/parents-who-are-stressed-or-disturbed-will-have-more-difficulty-in/) Sheila Kamerman > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) > [My dogs can't do anything--and what a relief. I don't make any demands of them, and I don't try to shape them or their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-chua/my-dogs-can-t-do-anything-and-what-a-relief-i-don-t-make-any-demands/) [Amy Chua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-chua/) > [The trouble is. . .that everybody sneers at restrictions and demands freedom, till something annoying happens; then they demand angrily what has become of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/the-trouble-is-that-everybody-sneers-at-restrictions-and-demands/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [You be greater than your feelings. I don't demand this of you - life does. Otherwise you'll be washed away by feelings. You'll be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/you-be-greater-than-your-feelings-i-don-t-demand-this-of-you-life/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [Christianity does not oppose debauchery and uncontrollable passions and the like as much as it opposes... flat mediocrity, this nauseating atmosphere, this homey, civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/christianity-does-not-oppose-debauchery-and-uncontrollable-passions/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [If we get better our customers will demand we get bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-truett-cathy/if-we-get-better-our-customers-will-demand-we-get-bigger/) [S. Truett Cathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-truett-cathy/) > [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Money should be ones demand and command one should not become slave of money..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/money-should-be-ones-demand-and-command-one-should-not-become-slave/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [There was no mistake in us making abortion legal and available on demand. That was what we call progress. Just like it was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ruffalo/there-was-no-mistake-in-us-making-abortion-legal-and-available-on/) [Mark Ruffalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ruffalo/) > [Most enjoyable activities are not natural; they demand an effort that initially one is reluctant to make. But once the interaction starts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/most-enjoyable-activities-are-not-natural-they-demand-an-effort-that/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Azerbaijan unleashed the war, and was defeated in that war; Azerbaijan asked for truce (including from the Commander of Karabakh's forces) and later started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serzh-sargsyan/azerbaijan-unleashed-the-war-and-was-defeated-in-that-war-azerbaijan/) [Serzh Sargsyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serzh-sargsyan/) [Browse all 3,809 Demand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demand/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Had Mittag-Leffler had his way, I should have to wait until the year 1984, which to me seemed too great a demand!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Georg Cantor" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should-have-to-wait-until-the-year/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Demand" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should-have-to-wait-until-the-year/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/georg-cantor-20252_demand_had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should_2971349.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/georg-cantor-20252_demand_had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should_2971349.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29c/georg-cantor-20252_demand_had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should_2971349.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Had Mittag-Leffler had his way, I should have to wait until the year 1984, which to me seemed too great a…” — Georg Cantor", "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": "Georg Cantor", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-cantor/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Had Mittag-Leffler had his way, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should-have-to-wait-until-the-year/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-cantor/had-mittag-leffler-had-his-way-i-should-have-to-wait-until-the-year/#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 } } ] } ```