--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thesis of the book,” he writes in…" description: "\"“The thesis of the book,” he writes in response, “when correctly interpreted, is essentially trivial. . . . To ‘prove’ such a mathematical result by a ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/jordan-ellenberg-15468_books_the-thesis-of-the-book-he-writes-in-resp_2593362.jpg" --- # The thesis of the book,” he writes in response, “when… ![“The thesis of the book,” he writes in response, “when correctly interpreted, is essentially trivial. . . . To ‘prove’ such a mathematical result by a costly and prolonged numerical study of many kinds of business profit and expense ratios is analogous to proving the multiplication table by…” quote by Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/jordan-ellenberg-15468_books_the-thesis-of-the-book-he-writes-in-resp_2593362.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/jordan-ellenberg-15468_books_the-thesis-of-the-book-he-writes-in-resp_2593362.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/082/jordan-ellenberg-15468_books_the-thesis-of-the-book-he-writes-in-resp_2593362.jpg) > ““The thesis of the book,” he writes in response, “when correctly interpreted, is essentially trivial. . . . To ‘prove’ such a mathematical result by a costly and prolonged numerical study of many kinds of business profit and expense ratios is analogous to proving the multiplication table by arranging elephants in rows and columns, and then doing the same for numerous other kinds of animals. The performance, though perhaps entertaining, and having a certain pedagogical value, is not an important contribution either to zoölogy or mathematics.”” [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that proving a simple mathematical truth with exhaustive data is wasteful and adds little value to either the subject or related fields. **In simple terms:** Overcomplicating simple truths with unnecessary data is pointless. Key Takeaway Focus on elegant, direct proofs. Themes simplicity efficiency mathematics pedagogy Mood critical analytical Type academic commentary critical When to use this quote - academic publishing - business analysis - educational curricula - policy modeling Key Concepts proof theory epistemology economics of research Questions to Reflect On - When is a simple proof sufficient? - How can we avoid overengineering solutions? A Different Perspective Complex data can obscure insight and waste resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Contribution Zoölogy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contribution-zo-logy-1879791/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Proving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/proving/) [Thesis Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thesis-book-1879790/) [Trivial Prove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trivial-prove-1879789/) [Zoölogy Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zo-logy-mathematics-1879788/) ## Related quotes > [What I've learned from my gurus is that when you hear music, you hear a person, or you hear people, and you hear everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/what-i-ve-learned-from-my-gurus-is-that-when-you-hear-music-you-hear/) [Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/) > [Without computers we will be stuck only proving theorems that have short proofs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-appel/without-computers-we-will-be-stuck-only-proving-theorems-that-have/) [Kenneth Appel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-appel/) > [“Knowing mathematics is like wearing a pair of X-ray specs that reveal hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/knowing-mathematics-is-like-wearing-a-pair-of-x-ray-specs-that-reveal/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [Trusting you is my decision. Proving me right is yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-vaish/trusting-you-is-my-decision-proving-me-right-is-yours/) [A.S. Vaish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-vaish/) > [Words mean little when actions are proving otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/words-mean-little-when-actions-are-proving-otherwise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I tried put everything I had into doing something and proving that MS wasn't going to hold me back and kissing goodbye to MS.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kadeena-cox/i-tried-put-everything-i-had-into-doing-something-and-proving-that-ms/) [Kadeena Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kadeena-cox/) > [Sayin bitch after proving your point.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sayin-bitch-after-proving-your-point/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wait a minute. I don't need to keep proving myself. I don't need to keep showing up at every party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/wait-a-minute-i-don-t-need-to-keep-proving-myself-i-don-t-need-to/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [I don't care about proving things to people. I'm proving things to myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-fitch/i-don-t-care-about-proving-things-to-people-i-m-proving-things-to/) [Jon Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-fitch/) > [So how does one go about proving something like this? It's not like being a lawyer, where the goal is to persuade other people;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-lockhart/so-how-does-one-go-about-proving-something-like-this-it-s-not-like/) [Paul Lockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-lockhart/) > [I don't believe in proving a point to anybody. Nobody is that important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aishwarya-rai-bachchan/i-don-t-believe-in-proving-a-point-to-anybody-nobody-is-that-important/) [Aishwarya Rai Bachchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aishwarya-rai-bachchan/) > [People have said to me, 'It must be nice to prove so many people wrong,' but I've never really cared about proving anything to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-bryan/people-have-said-to-me-it-must-be-nice-to-prove-so-many-people-wrong/) [Daniel Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-bryan/) > [“We’re proving not only that we can do better software, but that joy is an asset.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/we-re-proving-not-only-that-we-can-do-better-software-but-that-joy-is/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [“If you are not proving yourself, you are proving yourself!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-dwivedi/if-you-are-not-proving-yourself-you-are-proving-yourself/) [Ananya Dwivedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-dwivedi/) > [“...proving once again that there was no escape from recurrence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/proving-once-again-that-there-was-no-escape-from-recurrence/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) ## More by Jordan Ellenberg > [My reading practice is one reason I mostly don't read electronically. Different books are in different rooms of my house, and one is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/my-reading-practice-is-one-reason-i-mostly-don-t-read-electronically/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Knowing mathematics is like wearing a pair of X-ray specs that reveal hidden structures underneath the messy and chaotic surface of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/knowing-mathematics-is-like-wearing-a-pair-of-x-ray-specs-that-reveal/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“numerically flavored advice.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/numerically-flavored-advice/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“If you decide what color jelly beans to eat based just on the papers that get published, you’re making the same mistake the army…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/if-you-decide-what-color-jelly-beans-to-eat-based-just-on-the-papers/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Risky strategies can be analyzed numerically; uncertain strategies, Ellsberg suggested, were beyond the bounds of formal mathematical analysis”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/risky-strategies-can-be-analyzed-numerically-uncertain-strategies/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Mathematics is common sense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/mathematics-is-common-sense/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“if we now feel comfortable rejecting the conclusions of the Witztum study, what does that say about the reliability of our standard statistical tests?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/if-we-now-feel-comfortable-rejecting-the-conclusions-of-the-witztum/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“His most famous paradox goes like this. I decide to walk to the ice cream store. Now certainly I can’t get to the ice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/his-most-famous-paradox-goes-like-this-i-decide-to-walk-to-the-ice/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Data is messy, and inference is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/data-is-messy-and-inference-is-hard/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Math is a science of not being wrong about things,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/math-is-a-science-of-not-being-wrong-about-things/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“scientists and statisticians have already been worrying about them for quite some time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/scientists-and-statisticians-have-already-been-worrying-about-them/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“torturing the data until it confesses,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/torturing-the-data-until-it-confesses/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Nonlinear thinking means which way you should go depends on where you already are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/nonlinear-thinking-means-which-way-you-should-go-depends-on-where-you/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“Yes, the existence of human life is evidence for the existence of God; but it’s much better evidence that our world was programmed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/yes-the-existence-of-human-life-is-evidence-for-the-existence-of-god/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) > [“if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-ellenberg/if-he-fails-at-least-fails-while-daring-greatly/) [Jordan Ellenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) [Explore all 43 Jordan Ellenberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-ellenberg/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The thesis of the book,” he writes in response, “when correctly interpreted, is essentially trivial. . . . To ‘prove’ such a mathematical result by a costly and prolonged numerical study of many kinds of business profit and expense ratios is analogous to proving the multiplication table by arranging elephants in rows and columns, and then doing the same for numerous other kinds of animals. 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