---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the age of 12, I developed an intense…"
description: "\"At the age of 12, I developed an intense interest in mathematics. On exposure to algebra, I was fascinated by simultaneous equations and read ahead of ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/john-pople-31883_age_at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense_2863955.jpg"
---

#  At the age of 12, I developed an intense interest in…

![“At the age of 12, I developed an intense interest in mathematics. On exposure to algebra, I was fascinated by simultaneous equations and read ahead of the class to the end of the book.” quote by John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/john-pople-31883_age_at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense_2863955.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/john-pople-31883_age_at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense_2863955.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/john-pople-31883_age_at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense_2863955.jpg)

> “At the age of 12, I developed an intense interest in mathematics. On exposure to algebra, I was fascinated by simultaneous equations and read ahead of the class to the end of the book.”

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

## About This Quote

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

Early fascination with mathematics can drive deep engagement and self-directed learning.

**In simple terms:** Math sparks curiosity early.

Key Takeaway

Nurture early interests.

Themes

education mathematics curiosity

Mood

enthusiastic inspired

Type

educational personal

When to use this quote

- STEM programs
- gifted education
- personal tutoring

Key Concepts

cognitive development self-directed learning

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you sustain mathematical curiosity?
- What resources aid advanced learners?

A Different Perspective

Early interest may wane without support.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Algebra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/algebra/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Exposure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exposure/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) [Math](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/math/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/)

## Related quotes

> [Like primitive, we now live in a global village of our own making, a simultaneous happening. It doesn't necessarily mean harmony and peace and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/like-primitive-we-now-live-in-a-global-village-of-our-own-making-a/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Though the contradictions of war seem sudden and simultaneous, history stalks before it strikes. Something tolerated soon becomes something good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-michaels/though-the-contradictions-of-war-seem-sudden-and-simultaneous-history/)

[Anne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-michaels/)

> [There is no future. There is no past. Do you see? Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/there-is-no-future-there-is-no-past-do-you-see-time-is-simultaneous/)

[Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/)

> [Painting, by its nature, cannot provide an object of simultaneous collective reception... as film is able to do today... And while efforts have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/painting-by-its-nature-cannot-provide-an-object-of-simultaneous/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [Asia, in cooperation with Europe, is about to take simultaneous action towards realization of a New World Order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shunroku-hata/asia-in-cooperation-with-europe-is-about-to-take-simultaneous-action/)

[Shunroku Hata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shunroku-hata/)

> [Some people are happy when they are at the sea; I'm happy when I'm standing in front of a shelf of books. It feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/some-people-are-happy-when-they-are-at-the-sea-i-m-happy-when-i-m/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [The historical sense compels a man to write not merely with his own generation in his bones, but with a feeling that the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/the-historical-sense-compels-a-man-to-write-not-merely-with-his-own/)

[T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/)

> [The completely simultaneous and perfect possession of unlimited life at a single moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boethius/the-completely-simultaneous-and-perfect-possession-of-unlimited-life/)

[Boethius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boethius/)

> [Where to start is the problem, because nothing begins when it begins and nothing's over when it's over, and everything needs a preface: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/where-to-start-is-the-problem-because-nothing-begins-when-it-begins/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [You cannot separate the onset of a disturbing moment in life from the appearance of some simultaneous new possibility to know a deeper and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-finley/you-cannot-separate-the-onset-of-a-disturbing-moment-in-life-from-the/)

[Guy Finley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-finley/)

> [It seems to be the special peculiarity of human beings that they reflect: they think about thinking and know that they know. This, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/it-seems-to-be-the-special-peculiarity-of-human-beings-that-they/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [Transmitted at the speed of light, all events on this planet are simultaneous. In the electric environment of information all events are simultaneous, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/transmitted-at-the-speed-of-light-all-events-on-this-planet-are/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [I am intrigued with combining the remnant of memories, fragments of relics and ordinary objects, with the components of technology. It's a way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betye-saar/i-am-intrigued-with-combining-the-remnant-of-memories-fragments-of/)

Betye Saar

> [To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-cartier-bresson/to-me-photography-is-the-simultaneous-recognition-in-a-fraction-of-a/)

[Henri Cartier-Bresson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-cartier-bresson/)

> [I think it’s fairly common for writers to be afflicted with two simultaneous yet contradictory delusions, the burning certainty that we’re unique geniuses, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lynch/i-think-it-s-fairly-common-for-writers-to-be-afflicted-with-two/)

[Scott Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lynch/)

## More by John Pople

> [Life with a scientist who is often changing jobs and is frequently away at meetings and on lecture tours is not easy. Without a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/life-with-a-scientist-who-is-often-changing-jobs-and-is-frequently/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [Leaving England was a painful decision, and we still have some regrets about it. However, at that time, the research environment for theoretical chemistry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/leaving-england-was-a-painful-decision-and-we-still-have-some-regrets/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [In the war, most young men were inducted into the armed forces at the age of 17. A group of students was permitted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/in-the-war-most-young-men-were-inducted-into-the-armed-forces-at-the/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [Looking through the list of earlier Nobel laureates, I note a large number with whom I became acquainted and with whom I interacted during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/looking-through-the-list-of-earlier-nobel-laureates-i-note-a-large/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [I found a discarded textbook on calculus in a wastebasket and read it from cover to cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/i-found-a-discarded-textbook-on-calculus-in-a-wastebasket-and-read-it/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [I was approaching the age of 40 with a substantial publication record, but had not yet held any position in a chemistry department.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/i-was-approaching-the-age-of-40-with-a-substantial-publication-record/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [I had changed from being a mathematician to a practicing scientist. I was increasingly embarassed that I could no longer follow some of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/i-had-changed-from-being-a-mathematician-to-a-practicing-scientist-i/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [I was a close observer of the developments in molecular biology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/i-was-a-close-observer-of-the-developments-in-molecular-biology/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [Like many other Laureates, I have benefit immeasurably from the love and support of my wife and children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/like-many-other-laureates-i-have-benefit-immeasurably-from-the-love/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [I abandoned chemistry to concentrate on mathematics and physics. In 1942, I travelled to Cambridge to take the scholarship examination at Trinity College, received…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/i-abandoned-chemistry-to-concentrate-on-mathematics-and-physics-in/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [From an early age I was told that I was expected to do more than continue to run a small business. Education was important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/from-an-early-age-i-was-told-that-i-was-expected-to-do-more-than/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [I have had many opportunities to visit universities all over the world in the past 50 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/i-have-had-many-opportunities-to-visit-universities-all-over-the/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [Our children were mostly brought up and educated in the Churchill suburb east of Pittsburgh. Each summer, we took them back to England for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/our-children-were-mostly-brought-up-and-educated-in-the-churchill/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [On my return to Pittsburgh, I resolved to go back to the fundamental problems of electronic structure that I had contemplated abstractly many years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/on-my-return-to-pittsburgh-i-resolved-to-go-back-to-the-fundamental/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

> [I am delighted to have had students, friends and colleagues in so many nations and to have learned so much of what I know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/i-am-delighted-to-have-had-students-friends-and-colleagues-in-so-many/)

[John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

[Explore all 16 John Pople quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "At the age of 12, I developed an intense interest in mathematics. On exposure to algebra, I was fascinated by simultaneous equations and read ahead of the class to the end of the book.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Pople"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense-interest-in-mathematics-on/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense-interest-in-mathematics-on/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/john-pople-31883_age_at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense_2863955.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/john-pople-31883_age_at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense_2863955.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a4/john-pople-31883_age_at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense_2863955.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“At the age of 12, I developed an intense interest in mathematics. On exposure to algebra, I was fascinated…” — John Pople",
                "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": "John Pople",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "At the age of 12, I...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense-interest-in-mathematics-on/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/at-the-age-of-12-i-developed-an-intense-interest-in-mathematics-on/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
