--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was a seminar for advanced students…" description: "\"There was a seminar for advanced students in Zürich that I was teaching and von Neumann was in the class. I came to a certain theorem, and I said it is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/george-polya-10766_blackboard_there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-student_1213897.png" --- # There was a seminar for advanced students in Zürich that I… ![“There was a seminar for advanced students in Zürich that I was teaching and von Neumann was in the class. I came to a certain theorem, and I said it is not proved and it may be difficult. Von Neumann didn't say anything but after five minutes he raised his hand. When I called on him he went to the…” quote by George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/george-polya-10766_blackboard_there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-student_1213897.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/george-polya-10766_blackboard_there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-student_1213897.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/george-polya-10766_blackboard_there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-student_1213897.png) > “There was a seminar for advanced students in Zürich that I was teaching and von Neumann was in the class. I came to a certain theorem, and I said it is not proved and it may be difficult. Von Neumann didn't say anything but after five minutes he raised his hand. When I called on him he went to the blackboard and proceeded to write down the proof. After that I was afraid of von Neumann.” [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Von Neumann’s rapid solution to a difficult theorem impressed his teacher, highlighting his exceptional problem‑solving ability. **In simple terms:** Von Neumann solved a hard problem quickly. Key Takeaway Acknowledge extraordinary mathematical talent. Themes education mathematics mentorship genius Mood inspirational reflective Type educational motivational When to use this quote - advanced seminars - research collaboration - academic inspiration Key Concepts problem solving intuition expertise Questions to Reflect On - What role does collaboration play in breakthroughs? - How can educators foster similar confidence? A Different Perspective The anecdote may idealize genius and overlook collaborative effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blackboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackboard/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minutes/) [Neumann Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neumann-class-3691551/) [Neumann Didn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neumann-didn-3691548/) [Proof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof/) [Proof Afraid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proof-afraid-3691550/) [Raised](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raised/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Say anything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/say-anything/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Theorem Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theorem-said-3691549/) [Von neumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/von-neumann/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I'm in the business of helping stories get told, and I love this story. People don't say to me, When you were in Proof,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-gyllenhaal/i-m-in-the-business-of-helping-stories-get-told-and-i-love-this-story/) [Jake Gyllenhaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-gyllenhaal/) > [John von Neumann was the only student I was ever afraid of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/john-von-neumann-was-the-only-student-i-was-ever-afraid-of/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [To write and speak correctly is certainly necessary; but it is not sufficient. A derivation correctly presented in the book or on the blackboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/to-write-and-speak-correctly-is-certainly-necessary-but-it-is-not/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [“There is reason to suspect that our predilection for linear codes, which have a simple, almost temporal sequence, is chiefly a literary habit, corresponding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-dyson/there-is-reason-to-suspect-that-our-predilection-for-linear-codes/) [George Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-dyson/) > [In desperation I asked Fermi whether he was not impressed by the agreement between our calculated numbers and his measured numbers. He replied, "How…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/in-desperation-i-asked-fermi-whether-he-was-not-impressed-by-the/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [“If a mentally superhuman race ever develops, its members will resemble Johnny von Neumann,” Edward Teller once said. “If you enjoy thinking, your brain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/if-a-mentally-superhuman-race-ever-develops-its-members-will-resemble/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [ “ Worldwide Long Range Solutions Special Interest Group \[ ¤ SIG AeR.WLRS 253787890.546\]. Space Colonization Subgroup. Open discussion board. Okay, so imagine we get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/worldwide-long-range-solutions-special-interest-group-sig-aer-wlrs/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Running overtime is the one unforgivable error a lecturer can make. After fifty minutes (one microcentury as von Neumann used to say) everybody's attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gian-carlo-rota/running-overtime-is-the-one-unforgivable-error-a-lecturer-can-make/) [Gian-Carlo Rota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gian-carlo-rota/) > [“Alan Turing’s halting problem: you can’t know if the cells will all die off without running the game until they do die off. Thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bookstaber/alan-turing-s-halting-problem-you-can-t-know-if-the-cells-will-all/) [Richard Bookstaber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bookstaber/) > [ He \[John von Neumann\] had the invaluable faculty of being able to take the most difficult problem and separate it into its components, whereupon… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-ulam/he-john-von-neumann-had-the-invaluable-faculty-of-being-able-to-take/) [Stanislaw Ulam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-ulam/) > [My greatest concern was what to call it. I thought of calling it ‘information’, but the word was overly used, so I decided to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claude-shannon/my-greatest-concern-was-what-to-call-it-i-thought-of-calling-it/) [Claude Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claude-shannon/) > [“Von Neumann told Shannon to call his measure entropy, since "no one knows what entropy is, so in a debate you will always have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-campbell/von-neumann-told-shannon-to-call-his-measure-entropy-since-no-one/) [Jeremy Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-campbell/) > [There are two kinds of people in the world: Johnny Von Neumann and the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/there-are-two-kinds-of-people-in-the-world-johnny-von-neumann-and-the/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [“In fact, it took the resources of three countries to produce the bomb: the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. But there was more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/in-fact-it-took-the-resources-of-three-countries-to-produce-the-bomb/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [I remember my friend Johnny von Neumann used to say, 'with four parameters I can fit an elephant and with five I can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enrico-fermi/i-remember-my-friend-johnny-von-neumann-used-to-say-with-four/) [Enrico Fermi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enrico-fermi/) ## More by George Polya > [Pedantry and mastery are opposite attitudes toward rules. To apply a rule to the letter, rigidly, unquestioningly, in cases where it fits and in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/pedantry-and-mastery-are-opposite-attitudes-toward-rules-to-apply-a/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [A GREAT discovery solves a great problem but there is a grain of discovery in any problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/a-great-discovery-solves-a-great-problem-but-there-is-a-grain-of/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Where should I start? Start from the statement of the problem. ... What can I do? Visualize the problem as a whole as clearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/where-should-i-start-start-from-the-statement-of-the-problem-what-can/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [In order to translate a sentence from English into French two things are necessary. First, we must understand thoroughly the English sentence. Second, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/in-order-to-translate-a-sentence-from-english-into-french-two-things/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Look around when you have got your first mushroom or made your first discovery: they grow in clusters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/look-around-when-you-have-got-your-first-mushroom-or-made-your-first/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Beauty in mathematics is seeing the truth without effort.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/beauty-in-mathematics-is-seeing-the-truth-without-effort/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [I am too good for philosophy and not good enough for physics. Mathematics is in between.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/i-am-too-good-for-philosophy-and-not-good-enough-for-physics/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Solving problems is a practical art, like swimming, or skiing, or playing the piano: you can learn it only by imitation and practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/solving-problems-is-a-practical-art-like-swimming-or-skiing-or/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [An idea which can be used only once is a trick. If one can use it more than once it becomes a method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/an-idea-which-can-be-used-only-once-is-a-trick-if-one-can-use-it-more/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [To teach effectively a teacher must develop a feeling for his subject; he cannot make his students sense its vitality if he does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/to-teach-effectively-a-teacher-must-develop-a-feeling-for-his-subject/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [The world is anxious to admire that apex and culmination of modern mathematics: a theorem so perfectly general that no particular application of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/the-world-is-anxious-to-admire-that-apex-and-culmination-of-modern/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [The first rule of discovery is to have brains and good luck. The second rule of discovery is to sit tight and wait till…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/the-first-rule-of-discovery-is-to-have-brains-and-good-luck-the/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Hilbert once had a student in mathematics who stopped coming to his lectures, and he was finally told the young man had gone off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/hilbert-once-had-a-student-in-mathematics-who-stopped-coming-to-his/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [Geometry is the science of correct reasoning on incorrect figures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/geometry-is-the-science-of-correct-reasoning-on-incorrect-figures/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) > [An idea which can be used once is a trick. If it can be used more than once it becomes a method.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/an-idea-which-can-be-used-once-is-a-trick-if-it-can-be-used-more-than/) [George Polya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) [Explore all 63 George Polya quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/) ## More Blackboard quotes > [I was trouble - and always in trouble. Aged eight I still couldn't read. In fact, I was dyslexic and short-sighted. Despite sitting at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-was-trouble-and-always-in-trouble-aged-eight-i-still-couldn-t-read/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Clouds are poems, and the most moving poems linger on the blackboard so long, written in cursive so lovely, they also exist inside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/clouds-are-poems-and-the-most-moving-poems-linger-on-the-blackboard/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [I am not fully forgiven until I allow God to write his new dream for my life on the blackboard of my mind. ..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/i-am-not-fully-forgiven-until-i-allow-god-to-write-his-new-dream-for/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [When I was in school, I was too short to erase the blackboard. It was my job to put away the chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-yulin-cruz/when-i-was-in-school-i-was-too-short-to-erase-the-blackboard-it-was/) [Carmen Yulin Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-yulin-cruz/) > [It sounded like a piece of blackboard being dragged over the nails of a wall of severed fingers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-sounded-like-a-piece-of-blackboard-being-dragged-over-the-nails-of/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The principle factor in my success has been an absolute desire to draw constantly. I never decided to be an artist. Simply, I couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winsor-mccay/the-principle-factor-in-my-success-has-been-an-absolute-desire-to/) [Winsor McCay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winsor-mccay/) > [“In the chalky trough under the blackboard are lessons dusted and already forgotten. The teacher is squawking away once more, scratching into the dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-mccaffery/in-the-chalky-trough-under-the-blackboard-are-lessons-dusted-and/) [Richie McCaffery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-mccaffery/) > [That's the amazing thing about life. You can just rub it out, like a blackboard, and start again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/that-s-the-amazing-thing-about-life-you-can-just-rub-it-out-like-a/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [“On the Left side of the blackboard I print a capital F on the right side another capital F. I draw an arrow from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/on-the-left-side-of-the-blackboard-i-print-a-capital-f-on-the-right/) [Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/) > [Students famous nightmare is that when teacher start victimizing who will go to the blackboard to resolve a mathematics exercise .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mly-ab/students-famous-nightmare-is-that-when-teacher-start-victimizing-who/) [MLY AB](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mly-ab/) > [“Teaching Ramanujan was like writing on a blackboard covered with excerpts from a more interesting lecture.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-young/teaching-ramanujan-was-like-writing-on-a-blackboard-covered-with/) [Lawrence Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-young/) > [It is still an unending source of surprise for me how a few scribbles on a blackboard or on a piece of paper can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-ulam/it-is-still-an-unending-source-of-surprise-for-me-how-a-few-scribbles/) [Stanislaw Ulam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-ulam/) > [THE DEATH OF LEOPOLD GURSKY Leopold Gursky started dying on August 18, 1920. He died learning to walk. He died standing at the blackboard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-death-of-leopold-gursky-leopold-gursky-started-dying-on-august-18/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“When I was teaching children I began every day writing this on the blackboard: "Do to others what you would like them to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/common-sense/when-i-was-teaching-children-i-began-every-day-writing-this-on-the/) [Common Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/common-sense/) > [Where is the sound?" someone hastily scribbled on the blackboard, and they all waited anxiously for the reply. Milo caught his breath, picked up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norton-juster/where-is-the-sound-someone-hastily-scribbled-on-the-blackboard-and/) [Norton Juster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norton-juster/) [Browse all 55 Blackboard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackboard/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There was a seminar for advanced students in Zürich that I was teaching and von Neumann was in the class. I came to a certain theorem, and I said it is not proved and it may be difficult. Von Neumann didn't say anything but after five minutes he raised his hand. When I called on him he went to the blackboard and proceeded to write down the proof. After that I was afraid of von Neumann.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Polya" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-students-in-z-rich-that-i-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Blackboard" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-students-in-z-rich-that-i-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/george-polya-10766_blackboard_there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-student_1213897.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/george-polya-10766_blackboard_there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-student_1213897.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/269/george-polya-10766_blackboard_there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-student_1213897.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was a seminar for advanced students in Zürich that I was teaching and von Neumann was in the class. I…” — George Polya", "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": "George Polya", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-polya/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There was a seminar for advanced...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-students-in-z-rich-that-i-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-polya/there-was-a-seminar-for-advanced-students-in-z-rich-that-i-was/#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 } } ] } ```