---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of…"
description: "\"Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the plentiful Fountain of Advantage to human affairs.\" — Isaac Barrow"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/isaac-barrow-13537_advantage_mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-s_885081.jpg"
---

#  Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the…

![“Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the plentiful Fountain of Advantage to human affairs.” quote by Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/isaac-barrow-13537_advantage_mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-s_885081.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/isaac-barrow-13537_advantage_mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-s_885081.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/isaac-barrow-13537_advantage_mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-s_885081.jpg)

> “Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the plentiful Fountain of Advantage to human affairs.”

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Mathematics is the solid base supporting all sciences and a source of practical advantage for humanity.

**In simple terms:** Math underlies science and benefits human affairs.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and apply mathematical foundations.

Themes

science practicality foundation

Mood

analytical optimistic

Type

explanatory inspirational

When to use this quote

- engineering
- medicine
- economics
- policy making
- education

Key Concepts

mathematical logic utility advantage

Questions to Reflect On

- How does math shape societal progress?
- What limits does reliance on math impose?

A Different Perspective

Math alone cannot solve ethical dilemmas.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/) [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Funny mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-mathematics/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Math and science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math-and-science/) [Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Mathematics and science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics-and-science/) [Numbers and math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers-and-math/) [Sciences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sciences/)

## Related quotes

> [ \[A mathematician is a\] scientist who can figure out anything except such simple things as squaring the circle and trisecting an angle. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/a-mathematician-is-a-scientist-who-can-figure-out-anything-except/)

[Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/)

> [It is not the job of mathematicians... to do correct arithmetical operations. It is the job of bank accountants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuil-shatunovsky/it-is-not-the-job-of-mathematicians-to-do-correct-arithmetical/)

Samuil Shatunovsky

> [Mathematics is like draughts in being suitable for the young, not too difficult, amusing, and without peril to the state.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/mathematics-is-like-draughts-in-being-suitable-for-the-young-not-too/)

[Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/)

> [Mathematics is as much an aspect of culture as it is a collection of algorithms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-benjamin-boyer/mathematics-is-as-much-an-aspect-of-culture-as-it-is-a-collection-of/)

Carl Benjamin Boyer

> [We never know what we are talking about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/we-never-know-what-we-are-talking-about/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [Mathematics is not a deductive science, that's a cliché ... What you do is trial and error, experimentation, guesswork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-halmos/mathematics-is-not-a-deductive-science-that-s-a-clich-what-you-do-is/)

[Paul Halmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-halmos/)

> [A mathematician is a blind man in a dark room looking for a black cat which isn't there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/a-mathematician-is-a-blind-man-in-a-dark-room-looking-for-a-black-cat/)

[Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/)

> [Mathematics is the supreme judge; from its decisions there is no appeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tobias-dantzig/mathematics-is-the-supreme-judge-from-its-decisions-there-is-no-appeal/)

[Tobias Dantzig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tobias-dantzig/)

> [ “The science of man is the only solid foundation for the other sciences. \[All the other sciences\] have a relation, greater or lesser, to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-science-of-man-is-the-only-solid-foundation-for-the-other/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [Dad claims that library science is the foundation of all sciences just as math is the key -- and we will survive or founder,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dad-claims-that-library-science-is-the-foundation-of-all-sciences/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Even stranger things have happened; and perhaps the strangest of all is the marvel that mathematics should be possible to a race akin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-temple-bell/even-stranger-things-have-happened-and-perhaps-the-strangest-of-all/)

[Eric Temple Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-temple-bell/)

> [Nixon's motto was, if two wrongs don't make a right, try three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-cousins/nixon-s-motto-was-if-two-wrongs-don-t-make-a-right-try-three/)

[Norman Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-cousins/)

> [The mathematics are distinguished by a particular privilege, that is, in the course of ages, they may always advance and can never recede.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/the-mathematics-are-distinguished-by-a-particular-privilege-that-is/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [The pursuit of mathematics is a divine madness of the human spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-pursuit-of-mathematics-is-a-divine-madness-of-the-human-spirit/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/arithmetic-is-numbers-you-squeeze-from-your-head-to-your-hand-to-your/)

[Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/)

## More by Isaac Barrow

> [No adversity is in kind or degree peculiar to us; but if we survey the conditions of other men (of our brethren everywhere, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/no-adversity-is-in-kind-or-degree-peculiar-to-us-but-if-we-survey-the/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [An accomplished mathematician, i.e. a most wretched orator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/an-accomplished-mathematician-i-e-a-most-wretched-orator/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [We may be as good as we please, if we please to be good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/we-may-be-as-good-as-we-please-if-we-please-to-be-good/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [If we desire to live securely, comfortably, and quietly, that by all honest means we should endeavor to purchase the good will of all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/if-we-desire-to-live-securely-comfortably-and-quietly-that-by-all/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [He that loveth a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counsellor, a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. By study, by reading,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/he-that-loveth-a-book-will-never-want-a-faithful-friend-a-wholesome/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Chance never writ a legible book; chance never built a fair house; chance never drew a neat picture; it never did any of these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/chance-never-writ-a-legible-book-chance-never-built-a-fair-house/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [The proper work of man, the grand drift of human life, is to follow reason, that noble spark kindled in us from heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/the-proper-work-of-man-the-grand-drift-of-human-life-is-to-follow/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Nothing hath wrought more prejudice to religion, or brought more disparagement upon truth, than boisterous and unseasonable zeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/nothing-hath-wrought-more-prejudice-to-religion-or-brought-more/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Upright simplicity is the deepest wisdom, and perverse craft the merest shallowness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/upright-simplicity-is-the-deepest-wisdom-and-perverse-craft-the/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Every ear is tickled with the sweet music of applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/every-ear-is-tickled-with-the-sweet-music-of-applause/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [The fruits of the earth do not more obviously require labor and cultivation to prepare them for our use and subsistence, than our faculties…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/the-fruits-of-the-earth-do-not-more-obviously-require-labor-and/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [It is commonly said that revenge is sweet, but to a calm and considerate mind, patience and forgiveness are sweeter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/it-is-commonly-said-that-revenge-is-sweet-but-to-a-calm-and/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Because Mathematicians frequently make use of Time, they ought to have a distinct idea of the meaning of that Word, otherwise they are Quacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/because-mathematicians-frequently-make-use-of-time-they-ought-to-have/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [We should allow others' excellences, to preserve a modest opinion of our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/we-should-allow-others-excellences-to-preserve-a-modest-opinion-of/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

> [Wherefore for the public interest and benefit of human society it is requisite that the highest obligations possible should be laid upon the consciences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/wherefore-for-the-public-interest-and-benefit-of-human-society-it-is/)

[Isaac Barrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

[Explore all 50 Isaac Barrow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/)

## More Advantage quotes

> [Dogmatists have one advantage: they are poor listeners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frans-de-waal/dogmatists-have-one-advantage-they-are-poor-listeners/)

[Frans de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frans-de-waal/)

> [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Talented people can predict with great accuracy what's about to happen just a tiny bit ahead of their competitors. It might be two seconds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-maney/talented-people-can-predict-with-great-accuracy-what-s-about-to/)

[Kevin Maney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-maney/)

> [All I ever wanted was an unfair advantage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-wynn/all-i-ever-wanted-was-an-unfair-advantage/)

[Garrison Wynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-wynn/)

> [Part of the advantage, and part of the result of trying to be a producer and director, are the practical things, you find. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/campbell-scott/part-of-the-advantage-and-part-of-the-result-of-trying-to-be-a/)

[Campbell Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/campbell-scott/)

> [I was born with a silver microphone in my mouth, and that was an advantage. My father wrote books and was also a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dimbleby/i-was-born-with-a-silver-microphone-in-my-mouth-and-that-was-an/)

[Jonathan Dimbleby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dimbleby/)

> [Like funny men, skilled diners are apparently perceived to have an evolutionary advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/like-funny-men-skilled-diners-are-apparently-perceived-to-have-an/)

[Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/)

> [For some reason when I decide to pursue something, I never have any fear that it won't happen. I think it's just ingrained in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-blatz/for-some-reason-when-i-decide-to-pursue-something-i-never-have-any/)

[Kelly Blatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-blatz/)

> [I think I have good hands, so I try to use them to my advantage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bianca-andreescu/i-think-i-have-good-hands-so-i-try-to-use-them-to-my-advantage/)

[Bianca Andreescu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bianca-andreescu/)

> [My influences are jazz, blues, European classical music; they are rock music and pop music. So many kinds of music. World music from different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/my-influences-are-jazz-blues-european-classical-music-they-are-rock/)

[Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/)

> [Baseball needs to put the steroids era behind it by having and enforcing tough rules against all kinds of artificial advantages, so that spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-olasky/baseball-needs-to-put-the-steroids-era-behind-it-by-having-and/)

[Marvin Olasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-olasky/)

> [Daily contact with some teachers is itself all-sided ethical education for the child without a spoken precept. Here, too, the real advantage of male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-stanley-hall/daily-contact-with-some-teachers-is-itself-all-sided-ethical/)

[G. Stanley Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-stanley-hall/)

> [ If \[Donald\] Trump throws 20 million off of health care, that's going to be - if he handles this badly - and it's very… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-jones/if-donald-trump-throws-20-million-off-of-health-care-that-s-going-to/)

[Van Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-jones/)

> [Live in the world you inhabit. Look upon things as they are. Take them as you find them. Make the best of them. Turn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-lee/live-in-the-world-you-inhabit-look-upon-things-as-they-are-take-them/)

[Robert E. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-lee/)

> [I always tell women that the fact that you're different and that you're noticed, because there are few of us in the tech industry,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padmasree-warrior/i-always-tell-women-that-the-fact-that-you-re-different-and-that-you/)

[Padmasree Warrior](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padmasree-warrior/)

[Browse all 3,503 Advantage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advantage/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the plentiful Fountain of Advantage to human affairs.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Isaac Barrow"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-sciences-and-the-plentiful/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Advantage"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-sciences-and-the-plentiful/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/isaac-barrow-13537_advantage_mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-s_885081.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/isaac-barrow-13537_advantage_mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-s_885081.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea3/isaac-barrow-13537_advantage_mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-s_885081.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of Sciences, and the plentiful Fountain of Advantage to human affairs.” — Isaac Barrow",
                "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": "Isaac Barrow",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-barrow/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Mathematics - the unshaken Foundation of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-sciences-and-the-plentiful/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-barrow/mathematics-the-unshaken-foundation-of-sciences-and-the-plentiful/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
