Calculus Quote by Keith Devlin
“Calculus works by making visible the infinitesimally small.”
About This Quote
Calculus reveals how tiny, infinitesimal changes accumulate to shape larger phenomena.
In simple terms: Calculus shows how small parts build big results.
Key Takeaway
Focus on the details to understand the whole.
Themes
mathematics
analysis
precision
Mood
curious
inspired
Type
educational
philosophical
When to use this quote
- engineering design
- economic modeling
- physics problem solving
Key Concepts
infinitesimals
limit theory
continuity
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you apply tiny changes to achieve big goals?
- What tools help you see the impact of small variations?
A Different Perspective
Complex concepts can be abstract and hard to visualize for beginners.
![“Foreshadowings of the principles and even of the language of [the infinitesimal] calculus can be found in the writings of Napier , Kepler , Cavalieri , Fermat , Wallis , and Barrow . It was Newton 's good luck to come at a time when everything was ripe for the discovery, and his ability enabled…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e09/anonymous-1_ability_foreshadowings-of-the-principles-and-eve_273197.jpg)
![“The calculus is the story this [the Western] world first told itself as it became the modern world.” quote by David Berlinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/de1/david-berlinski-16009_calculus_the-calculus-is-the-story-this-the-weste_2753363.jpg)
![“I saw the first one [video with Hans Rosling ] when he did - I think it was his first one - in 2006, a TED Talk. And for the first time in my life, I thought here's someone who can take statistics that most people regard as dull and boring and bring it alive.” quote by Keith Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f8c/keith-devlin-19829_alive_i-saw-the-first-one-video-with-hans-rosl_101875.jpg)
![“Hans Rosling typically would go into the room, and he would ask the audience questions. Often they had to answer them with clickers or raising their hands or something. We get [data] wrong because 50 years ago that wasn't the case and because we haven't had these graphics we don't realize that…” quote by Keith Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/740/keith-devlin-19829_answers_hans-rosling-typically-would-go-into-the_518165.jpg)
![“Some of the justifiable critiques has been by - been so successful in telling this story, you know, there's a danger of saying, oh, well, you know, we don't need to worry about this because that's absolutely not the case. What [Hans] Rosling is doing is showing us an overall global trend, which in…” quote by Keith Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/3dd/keith-devlin-19829_bad-thing_some-of-the-justifiable-critiques-has-be_763450.jpg)
![“In fact, we tend to think things have been getting much worse. In fact, over the last 50 years, almost everything in the world on a global scale has got better. And the way that Hans [ Rosling] did this - it was very good.” quote by Keith Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/473/keith-devlin-19829_facts_in-fact-we-tend-to-think-things-have-bee_1076728.jpg)
![“In fact, when you try to use [Hans Rosling] data to predict the future, all sorts of problems arise. But what it does do is say, hey, just catch your breath a minute and see what's really been going on. We do have reason to feel good about the fact we've made progress.” quote by Keith Devlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1a8/keith-devlin-19829_arise_in-fact-when-you-try-to-use-hans-rosling_1084549.jpg)
![“Tell them you came, and saw, and looked into my eyes and saw the shadow of the guard receding. Thoughts in time and out of season, the hitchinker stood by the side of the road and levelled his thumb in the calm calculus of reason. [...] Why does my mind circle around you? Why do planets wonder…” quote by Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9ae/jim-morrison-1692_bird_tell-them-you-came-and-saw-and-looked-in_18280.jpg)
