--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Like musicians who can read and write…" description: "\"Like musicians who can read and write complicated scores in a world without sounds, for us mathematics is a source of delight, excitement, and even con..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/gil-kalai-72813_balance_like-musicians-who-can-read-and-write-co_1768973.jpg" --- # Like musicians who can read and write complicated scores… ![“Like musicians who can read and write complicated scores in a world without sounds, for us mathematics is a source of delight, excitement, and even controversy which are hard to share with non mathematicians. In our small micro-cosmos we should ever seek the right balance between competition and…” quote by Gil Kalai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/gil-kalai-72813_balance_like-musicians-who-can-read-and-write-co_1768973.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/gil-kalai-72813_balance_like-musicians-who-can-read-and-write-co_1768973.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/gil-kalai-72813_balance_like-musicians-who-can-read-and-write-co_1768973.jpg) > “Like musicians who can read and write complicated scores in a world without sounds, for us mathematics is a source of delight, excitement, and even controversy which are hard to share with non mathematicians. In our small micro-cosmos we should ever seek the right balance between competition and solidarity, criticism and empathy, exclusion and inclusion.” Gil Kalai ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Mathematics offers deep joy and debate, yet sharing it with non‑mathematicians is hard; we must balance competition with solidarity and criticism with empathy, inclusion with exclusion. **In simple terms:** Math is joyful but hard to explain; seek balance between competition and empathy. Key Takeaway Cultivate inclusive, supportive environments for complex ideas. Themes mathematics community balance empathy competition Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - Academic conferences - online forums - interdisciplinary teams - educational workshops Key Concepts Intellectual joy social dynamics collaboration Questions to Reflect On - How can we make complex ideas accessible? - What practices foster empathy in competitive environments? A Different Perspective Balancing competition and solidarity can be difficult in high‑stakes fields. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Competition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/competition/) [Controversy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/controversy/) [Cosmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmos/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/) [Empathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empathy/) [Excitement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excitement/) [Inclusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inclusion/) [Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician/) [Mathematicians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematicians/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Musician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/musician/) [Read And Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/read-and-write/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Solidarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solidarity/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [When I told my son that I had to give a talk about my work to non-mathematicians, he warned me that regular people don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/when-i-told-my-son-that-i-had-to-give-a-talk-about-my-work-to-non/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [“If we have no form of cognitive learning, our knowledge is empty with the absence of words in our mind for us to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saaif-alam/if-we-have-no-form-of-cognitive-learning-our-knowledge-is-empty-with/) [Saaif Alam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saaif-alam/) > [“I can read and write in nine different languages, two of which are dead ones and two fictional ones. I can solve complex mathematical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-mells/i-can-read-and-write-in-nine-different-languages-two-of-which-are/) J.C. Mells > [There weren't any schools in my village, so I learnt to read and write from my mother. I played in the fields, sowing seeds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonam-wangchuk/there-weren-t-any-schools-in-my-village-so-i-learnt-to-read-and-write/) [Sonam Wangchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonam-wangchuk/) > [I didn't go to high school. I think that after you learn to read and write and do your numbers and flush the toilet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilford-brimley/i-didn-t-go-to-high-school-i-think-that-after-you-learn-to-read-and/) [Wilford Brimley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilford-brimley/) > [Programming is how we talk to the machines that are increasingly woven into our lives. If you aren't a programmer, you're like one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/programming-is-how-we-talk-to-the-machines-that-are-increasingly/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) > [I loathed every day and regret every day I spent in school. I like to be taught to read and write and add and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-loathed-every-day-and-regret-every-day-i-spent-in-school-i-like-to/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [No one in this world, so far as I know--and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me--has ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/no-one-in-this-world-so-far-as-i-know-and-i-have-searched-the-records/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [“The last line of Hawaii's Story by Hawaii's Queen is addressed to the American people and their congressmen. "As they deal with me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-vowell/the-last-line-of-hawaii-s-story-by-hawaii-s-queen-is-addressed-to-the/) [Sarah Vowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-vowell/) > [I learned to play by ear before I learned music theory. For me, that makes sense. After all, children learn to speak before they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jools-holland/i-learned-to-play-by-ear-before-i-learned-music-theory-for-me-that/) [Jools Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jools-holland/) > [I will take classes in Kannada and will learn to read and write it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikita-thukral/i-will-take-classes-in-kannada-and-will-learn-to-read-and-write-it/) [Nikita Thukral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikita-thukral/) > [There is no secret to success except hard work and getting something indefinable which we call 'the breaks.' In order for a writer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/countee-cullen/there-is-no-secret-to-success-except-hard-work-and-getting-something/) [Countee Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/countee-cullen/) > [I feel very privileged to get to read and write and not to have to do things that I don't like, and I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/i-feel-very-privileged-to-get-to-read-and-write-and-not-to-have-to-do/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [I read and write for most of the day, but I do let myself be interrupted by real life. I enjoy going out with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-vollmann/i-read-and-write-for-most-of-the-day-but-i-do-let-myself-be/) [William T. Vollmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-t-vollmann/) > [I read and write but my ideas don't go beyond the first draft. When they will, I will make it into a film probably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antara-mali/i-read-and-write-but-my-ideas-don-t-go-beyond-the-first-draft-when/) [Antara Mali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antara-mali/) ## More by Gil Kalai > [The book is so rich and yet it is well done. A rare achievement indeed!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-kalai/the-book-is-so-rich-and-yet-it-is-well-done-a-rare-achievement-indeed/) Gil Kalai > [Counting pairs is the oldest trick in combinatorics... Every time we count pairs, we learn something from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-kalai/counting-pairs-is-the-oldest-trick-in-combinatorics-every-time-we/) Gil Kalai > [As for explaining mathematical phenomena it opens the question: explaining to whom? humans?, other computers?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gil-kalai/as-for-explaining-mathematical-phenomena-it-opens-the-question/) Gil Kalai Explore all 4 Gil Kalai quotes ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. 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I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. 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When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Like musicians who can read and write complicated scores in a world without sounds, for us mathematics is a source of delight, excitement, and even controversy which are hard to share with non mathematicians. 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