--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think you can fan the flames, but I…" description: "\"I think you can fan the flames, but I think in the same way that a mathematician is a mathematician - He's not taught to be a mathematician. He either ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/john-hurt-1669_delight_i-think-you-can-fan-the-flames-but-i-thi_1612327.png" --- # I think you can fan the flames, but I think in the same… ![“I think you can fan the flames, but I think in the same way that a mathematician is a mathematician - He's not taught to be a mathematician. He either has a feeling for equations and an understanding and delight in it, not only in the purity of it, but in its beauty as well.” quote by John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/john-hurt-1669_delight_i-think-you-can-fan-the-flames-but-i-thi_1612327.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/john-hurt-1669_delight_i-think-you-can-fan-the-flames-but-i-thi_1612327.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbe/john-hurt-1669_delight_i-think-you-can-fan-the-flames-but-i-thi_1612327.png) > “I think you can fan the flames, but I think in the same way that a mathematician is a mathematician - He's not taught to be a mathematician. He either has a feeling for equations and an understanding and delight in it, not only in the purity of it, but in its beauty as well.” [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mathematician's talent stems from innate intuition and joy in equations, not formal instruction alone. **In simple terms:** Math skill comes from feeling and love of equations. Key Takeaway Cultivate curiosity and appreciation for patterns. Themes intuition beauty learning Mood reflective inspired Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - teaching math - self‑study - research - creative problem solving Key Concepts mathematical intuition aesthetic appreciation Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance intuition with formal proof? - Can beauty drive deeper understanding? A Different Perspective May overlook the need for rigorous training and discipline. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/) [Equations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equations/) [Fans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fans/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Flames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flames/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician/) [Mathematician Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician-feeling-5941648/) [Mathematician Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician-mathematician-6149174/) [Mathematician Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematician-taught-5462986/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Purity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purity/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Taught Mathematician](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-mathematician-6149173/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [A mathematician either has a feeling for equations and an understanding and delight in it, not only in the purity of it, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/a-mathematician-either-has-a-feeling-for-equations-and-an/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [“Ibn Sina was born in a tiny settlement called Afshanah, outside the village of Kharmaythan, and soon after his birth his family moved to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-gordon/ibn-sina-was-born-in-a-tiny-settlement-called-afshanah-outside-the/) [Noah Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-gordon/) > [Do you know," the Devil confided, "not even the best mathematicians on other planets - all far ahead of yours - have solved it?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-porges/do-you-know-the-devil-confided-not-even-the-best-mathematicians-on/) [Arthur Porges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-porges/) > [My favourite fellow of the Royal Society is the Reverend Thomas Bayes, an obscure 18th-century Kent clergyman and a brilliant mathematician who devised a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/my-favourite-fellow-of-the-royal-society-is-the-reverend-thomas-bayes/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I thought of computers as very low class. 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But, at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atiyah/in-the-broad-light-of-day-mathematicians-check-their-equations-and/) [Michael Atiyah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atiyah/) > [I think you can get better in mathematics on a school level, but when you're talking about being a mathematician, I think that's definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-think-you-can-get-better-in-mathematics-on-a-school-level-but-when-2/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I think you can get better in mathematics on a school level, but when you're talking about being a mathematician, I think that's definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-think-you-can-get-better-in-mathematics-on-a-school-level-but-when/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I kind of pride myself on coming onto things that are well-oiled machines and finding a way to bring what I bring and fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-kind-of-pride-myself-on-coming-onto-things-that-are-well-oiled/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [I've been screwed by as many women as I have by men, in terms of lawyers. But lawyers don't count. If you take lawyers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/i-ve-been-screwed-by-as-many-women-as-i-have-by-men-in-terms-of/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) ## More by John Hurt > [I can't say that I wouldn't prefer to make small films, basically because I think they are probably more interesting in terms of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-can-t-say-that-i-wouldn-t-prefer-to-make-small-films-basically/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [Acting is an imaginative leap, really, isn't it? And imaginations prosper in different circumstances. 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I just know how far you have to bend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/things-come-in-a-quieter-way-to-me-it-s-not-laziness-and-it-s-not/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I've spent a great deal of my life doing independent film, and that is partly because the subject matter interests me and partly because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-ve-spent-a-great-deal-of-my-life-doing-independent-film-and-that-is/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I find myself more interested in producing. Not because I'm interested in the financial side of it, but just getting together the right elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-find-myself-more-interested-in-producing-not-because-i-m-interested/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [Actors are not always the best judges. We have a peculiar idea of what we think we are, and sometimes it's best left to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/actors-are-not-always-the-best-judges-we-have-a-peculiar-idea-of-what/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [My parents felt that acting was far too insecure. Don't ask me what made them think that painting would be more secure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/my-parents-felt-that-acting-was-far-too-insecure-don-t-ask-me-what/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [I've done all sorts of children's things before, but none as big as 'Harry Potter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/i-ve-done-all-sorts-of-children-s-things-before-but-none-as-big-as/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [Really, I'm only alive out of curiosity. I'm very curious about where we're all marching.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/really-i-m-only-alive-out-of-curiosity-i-m-very-curious-about-where/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) > [You carry that through and adapt it to a camera lens, but you're quite right, you cannot be sure of what an audience is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hurt/you-carry-that-through-and-adapt-it-to-a-camera-lens-but-you-re-quite/) [John Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) [Explore all 217 John Hurt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hurt/) ## More Delight quotes > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. 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It roars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/a-real-flame-of-love-is-a-subtle-thing-it-burns-as-a-will-o-the-wisp/) [Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/) > [“The gift of words, the source of enjoyment, the source of delight that comes within and the unfading beauty and energy of words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/the-gift-of-words-the-source-of-enjoyment-the-source-of-delight-that/) [Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/) > [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) > [All the world's bravery that delights our eyes is but thy several liveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-cowley/all-the-world-s-bravery-that-delights-our-eyes-is-but-thy-several/) [Abraham Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-cowley/) > [It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness - I’m so accustomed to my Fate - Perhaps the Other - Peace - Would interrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/it-might-be-lonelier-without-the-loneliness-i-m-so-accustomed-to-my/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Design should do the same thing in everyday life that art does when encountered: amaze us, scare us or delight us, but certainly open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-betsky/design-should-do-the-same-thing-in-everyday-life-that-art-does-when/) [Aaron Betsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-betsky/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Every natural power exhilarates; a true talent delights the possessor first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-natural-power-exhilarates-a-true-talent-delights-the-possessor/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [If we are to define science, ... it does not consist so much in knowing, nor even in "organized knowledge," as it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/if-we-are-to-define-science-it-does-not-consist-so-much-in-knowing/) [Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/) > [Significantly, God in Genesis 1 pronounces the rest of creation "good" before humanity is created. 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