--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The value of a problem is not so much…" description: "\"The value of a problem is not so much coming up with the answer as in the ideas and attempted ideas it forces on the would be solver.\" — Israel Nathan ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/israel-nathan-herstein-111588_answers_the-value-of-a-problem-is-not-so-much-co_3000798.png" --- # The value of a problem is not so much coming up with the… ![“The value of a problem is not so much coming up with the answer as in the ideas and attempted ideas it forces on the would be solver.” quote by Israel Nathan Herstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/israel-nathan-herstein-111588_answers_the-value-of-a-problem-is-not-so-much-co_3000798.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/israel-nathan-herstein-111588_answers_the-value-of-a-problem-is-not-so-much-co_3000798.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcc/israel-nathan-herstein-111588_answers_the-value-of-a-problem-is-not-so-much-co_3000798.png) > “The value of a problem is not so much coming up with the answer as in the ideas and attempted ideas it forces on the would be solver.” Israel Nathan Herstein ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The value of a problem lies in the ideas it generates, not just the solution. **In simple terms:** Problems are valuable for the ideas they inspire. Key Takeaway Seek insight, not just answers. Themes education creativity critical thinking Mood inquisitive analytical Type educational philosophical math Answers:1 Force:0 Ideas:1 Math:1 Math education:1 Math problems:1 Mathematics:1 Problem:1 Problem solving:1 Statistics:0 Teaching:1 Values:1 Would be:0 Ideas Forces:0 Ideas Attempted:0 Attempted Ideas:0 Value Problem:1 When to use this quote - classroom teaching - research projects - self‑study Key Concepts problem solving mathematical reasoning innovation Questions to Reflect On - How can you foster idea generation? - What problems spark your curiosity? A Different Perspective May undervalue correct answers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Math education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math-education/) [Math problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math-problems/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem solving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-solving/) [Statistics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/statistics/) [Teaching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teaching/) [Values](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/values/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [One of the big misapprehensions about mathematics that we perpetrate in our classrooms is that the teacher always seems to know the answer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-henkin/one-of-the-big-misapprehensions-about-mathematics-that-we-perpetrate-2/) Leon Henkin > [One of the big misapprehensions about mathematics that we perpetrate in our classrooms is that the teacher always seems to know the answer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-henkin/one-of-the-big-misapprehensions-about-mathematics-that-we-perpetrate/) Leon Henkin > [It is the duty of all teachers, and of teachers of mathematics in particular, to expose their students to problems much more than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-halmos/it-is-the-duty-of-all-teachers-and-of-teachers-of-mathematics-in/) [Paul Halmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-halmos/) > [“LIGHT has no value without darkness, just as a SOLUTION has no value without a problem”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fela-durotoye/light-has-no-value-without-darkness-just-as-a-solution-has-no-value/) [Fela Durotoye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fela-durotoye/) > [I'm am not a great man I am just a man who has ideas and forces them on to the public via the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/i-m-am-not-a-great-man-i-am-just-a-man-who-has-ideas-and-forces-them/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Ideas are forces; our acceptance of one determines our reception of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-henry-lewes/ideas-are-forces-our-acceptance-of-one-determines-our-reception-of/) [George Henry Lewes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-henry-lewes/) > [We sat looking out at the ocean. 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What keeps us going are the unsolved problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-pomerance/theorems-are-fun-especially-when-you-are-the-prover-but-then-the/) Carl Pomerance > [There are problems to whose solution I would attach an infinitely greater importance than to those of mathematics, for example touching ethics, or our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-friedrich-gauss/there-are-problems-to-whose-solution-i-would-attach-an-infinitely/) [Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-friedrich-gauss/) > [When I was in school I liked math because all the problems had answers. 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