Fermat Quote by John Nash
“By the time I was a student in high school...I remember succeeding in proving the classic Fermat theorem about an integer multiplied by itself p times where p is a prime.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Oral History, Stanford University, 1975
Recalling a high‑school achievement where he proved a special case of Fermat’s theorem, illustrating early talent and confidence in mathematics.
In simple terms: He proved a Fermat‑type result as a student, showing early skill.
Key Takeaway
Recognize and build on early successes.
Themes
mathematics
confidence
early achievement
Mood
proud
reflective
Type
personal
academic.
When to use this quote
- Academic competitions
- personal study
- mentor discussions
Key Concepts
Number theory
self‑multiplication
prime exponent
Questions to Reflect On
- How did this early win shape your later work?
- What role does early confidence play in long‑term success?
A Different Perspective
Limited to a specific case, not the full theorem.
![“Some mathematics problems look simple, and you try them for a year or so, and then you try them for a hundred years, and it turns out that they're extremely hard to solve. There's no reason why these problems shouldn't be easy, and yet they turn out to be extremely intricate. [Fermat's] Last…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/948/anonymous-1_beautiful_some-mathematics-problems-look-simple-an_299446.jpg)
![“A reply to Olbers' attempt in 1816 to entice him to work on Fermat's Theorem. I confess that Fermat's Theorem as an isolated proposition has very little interest for me, because I could easily lay down a multitude of such propositions, which one could neither prove nor dispose of. []” quote by Carl Friedrich Gauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/026/carl-friedrich-gauss-9412_fermat_a-reply-to-olbers-attempt-in-1816-to-ent_2675593.jpg)
![“Before beginning [to try to prove Fermat's Last Theorem] I should have to put in three years of intensive study, and I haven't that much time to squander on a probable failure.” quote by David Hilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b4f/david-hilbert-12585_education_before-beginning-to-try-to-prove-fermat_2395986.jpg)
