--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It would be foolish to give credit to…" description: "\"It would be foolish to give credit to Euclid for pangeometrical conceptions; the idea of geometry deifferent from the common-sense one never occurred t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/183/george-sarton-17933_common_it-would-be-foolish-to-give-credit-to-eu_953305.jpg" --- # It would be foolish to give credit to Euclid for… ![“It would be foolish to give credit to Euclid for pangeometrical conceptions; the idea of geometry deifferent from the common-sense one never occurred to his mind. Yet, when he stated the fifth postulate, he stood at the parting of the ways. His subconscious prescience is astounding. There is…” quote by George Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/183/george-sarton-17933_common_it-would-be-foolish-to-give-credit-to-eu_953305.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/183/george-sarton-17933_common_it-would-be-foolish-to-give-credit-to-eu_953305.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/183/george-sarton-17933_common_it-would-be-foolish-to-give-credit-to-eu_953305.jpg) > “It would be foolish to give credit to Euclid for pangeometrical conceptions; the idea of geometry deifferent from the common-sense one never occurred to his mind. Yet, when he stated the fifth postulate, he stood at the parting of the ways. His subconscious prescience is astounding. There is nothing comperable to it in the whole history of science.” [George Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sarton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Euclid’s work hinted at non‑Euclidean ideas, showing intuition can precede formal theory. **In simple terms:** Euclid foresaw new geometry. Key Takeaway Explore beyond accepted axioms. Themes mathematics innovation history Mood analytical inquisitive Type historical educational When to use this quote - academic research - teaching - theoretical development Key Concepts geometry philosophy of science Questions to Reflect On - How do hidden ideas shape science? - Can intuition lead to breakthroughs? A Different Perspective His insights were not explicit, so credit is debatable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Common sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-sense/) [Conception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conception/) [Credit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/credit/) [Euclid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euclid/) [Geometry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/geometry/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [History of science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-of-science/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Subconscious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subconscious/) ## Related quotes > [“When one day Lagrange took out of his pocket a paper which he read at the Académe, and which contained a demonstration of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-biot/when-one-day-lagrange-took-out-of-his-pocket-a-paper-which-he-read-at/) Jean-Baptiste Biot > [“... 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Fear it no less than the sensual passion, because it, too, may take up all your time and deprive you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farkas-bolyai/please-give-it-up-fear-it-no-less-than-the-sensual-passion-because-it/) [Farkas Bolyai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farkas-bolyai/) > [Regular geometry, the geometry of Euclid, is concerned with shapes which are smooth, except perhaps for corners and lines, special lines which are singularities,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/regular-geometry-the-geometry-of-euclid-is-concerned-with-shapes/) [Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/) > [The new painters do not propose, any more than did their predecessors, to be geometers. 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