--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Moreover, if one selects a problem, works…" description: "\"Moreover, if one selects a problem, works on it in isolation for a few years and finally solves it, there is a danger, unless the problem is very famou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/timothy-gowers-30245_danger_moreover-if-one-selects-a-problem-works_3038797.jpg" --- # Moreover, if one selects a problem, works on it in… ![“Moreover, if one selects a problem, works on it in isolation for a few years and finally solves it, there is a danger, unless the problem is very famous, that it will no longer be regarded as all that significant.” quote by Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/timothy-gowers-30245_danger_moreover-if-one-selects-a-problem-works_3038797.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/timothy-gowers-30245_danger_moreover-if-one-selects-a-problem-works_3038797.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aaf/timothy-gowers-30245_danger_moreover-if-one-selects-a-problem-works_3038797.jpg) > “Moreover, if one selects a problem, works on it in isolation for a few years and finally solves it, there is a danger, unless the problem is very famous, that it will no longer be regarded as all that significant.” [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Solving obscure problems in isolation can diminish their perceived importance unless they are already well‑known. **In simple terms:** Obscure work may be undervalued. Key Takeaway Seek collaboration and visibility. Themes recognition collaboration impact Mood reflective critical Type academic philosophical When to use this quote - research projects - grant proposals - conference presentations Key Concepts visibility academic culture Questions to Reflect On - How can niche work gain recognition? - What role does community play in valuing research? A Different Perspective May overlook the intrinsic value of niche discoveries. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Isolation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isolation/) [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem solving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-solving/) ## Related quotes > [The problem is, the more famous you get, the more people see you who didn't choose to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-c-k/the-problem-is-the-more-famous-you-get-the-more-people-see-you-who/) [Louis C. K](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-c-k/) > [“The value for which P=0.05, or 1 in 20, is 1.96 or nearly 2; it is convenient to take this point as a limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-a-fisher/the-value-for-which-p-0-05-or-1-in-20-is-1-96-or-nearly-2-it-is/) Ronald A. Fisher > [It's quite extraordinary that a recourse (branding/identity) which is generally regarded as so significant, and is now so ubiquitous, is so little understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-olins/it-s-quite-extraordinary-that-a-recourse-branding-identity-which-is/) [Wally Olins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-olins/) > [Paris, though it's a very famous city, it's very small, so people always tell themselves, "We're gonna love each other in Paris."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-garrel/paris-though-it-s-a-very-famous-city-it-s-very-small-so-people-always/) [Louis Garrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-garrel/) > [The actual truth about Gad is it's one of the original 13 tribes of Israel, so you can actually trace my lineage back to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gad/the-actual-truth-about-gad-is-it-s-one-of-the-original-13-tribes-of/) [Josh Gad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gad/) > [In the words of a very famous dead person, 'A nation that does not know its history is doomed to do poorly on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/in-the-words-of-a-very-famous-dead-person-a-nation-that-does-not-know/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [The cynical, caustic, acid-tongued New York drama critic Addison De Witt introduces his protege/date of the moment, a bimbo date and so-called actress named…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sanders/the-cynical-caustic-acid-tongued-new-york-drama-critic-addison-de/) [George Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sanders/) > [Somewhere in the shadow cast by every famous man is a feminine victim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/somewhere-in-the-shadow-cast-by-every-famous-man-is-a-feminine-victim/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [If every museum in the New World were emptied, if every famous building in the Old World were destroyed and only Venice saved, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-every-museum-in-the-new-world-were-emptied-if-every-famous/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [I became very famous, as a teenager, and my name and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-stevens/i-became-very-famous-as-a-teenager-and-my-name-and-photo-were/) [Cat Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-stevens/) > [I wanted the chance to look again at very famous stories and see what made them work well, whether there were any ways in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/i-wanted-the-chance-to-look-again-at-very-famous-stories-and-see-what/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [I had a very famous trainer tell me once, You can usually train a wild animal but never tame a wild animal, ever. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hanna/i-had-a-very-famous-trainer-tell-me-once-you-can-usually-train-a-wild/) [Jack Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hanna/) > [I was very famous as a young man and I celebrated both the good and bad times with drinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-hughes/i-was-very-famous-as-a-young-man-and-i-celebrated-both-the-good-and/) [Glenn Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-hughes/) > [I've walked with very famous people down red carpets over to the crowd of thousands of people, and you'll reach out to shake their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-ve-walked-with-very-famous-people-down-red-carpets-over-to-the/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [I watched a film with a very famous, great, great actor, I won't mention his name because everyone loves his memory, but I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/i-watched-a-film-with-a-very-famous-great-great-actor-i-won-t-mention/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) ## More by Timothy Gowers > [Although the prime numbers are rigidly determined, they somehow feel like experimental data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/although-the-prime-numbers-are-rigidly-determined-they-somehow-feel/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [“if, for each t, we write u(t) for the function from to that takes x to u(x, t), then it describes how the function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/if-for-each-t-we-write-u-t-for-the-function-from-to-that-takes-x-to-u/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [What a mathematical proof actually does is show that certain conclusions, such as the irrationality of , follow from certain premises, such as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/what-a-mathematical-proof-actually-does-is-show-that-certain/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [“ut = -uux - uxxx. Why is it that this equation gives rise to the remarkable stability of the solutions that was observed experimentally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/ut-uux-uxxx-why-is-it-that-this-equation-gives-rise-to-the-remarkable/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [“It is a remarkable phenomenon that children can learn to speak without ever being consciously aware of the sophisticated grammar they are using.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/it-is-a-remarkable-phenomenon-that-children-can-learn-to-speak/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [“The function ei(kx-ωt) represents a wave that travels at a speed of ω/k, which we have just shown to be equal to -k2. 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This is a typical mathematician's use of the word "is", and should not be confused with the normal use.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/the-atlas-is-a-manifold-this-is-a-typical-mathematician-s-use-of-the/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [Here is something Category-Theorists like: it is trivial, but not trivially trivial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/here-is-something-category-theorists-like-it-is-trivial-but-not/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [“Can we have genuine knowledge of space without ever leaving our armchairs?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/can-we-have-genuine-knowledge-of-space-without-ever-leaving-our/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [“Roses belong to the set R”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/roses-belong-to-the-set-r/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) > [A typical mathematician does not actively try to be useful. Individual mathematicians are motivated primarily by a subtle mixture of ambition and intellectual curiosity,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-gowers/a-typical-mathematician-does-not-actively-try-to-be-useful-individual/) [Timothy Gowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) [Explore all 17 Timothy Gowers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-gowers/) ## More Danger quotes > [In discovering books, you became free to explore the full range of human motives, desires, secrets, and lies. 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It is a phobia that tethers and blinds ur ability to see and comprehend your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/anything-you-fear-is-a-shackle-to-ur-soul-it-is-a-phobia-that-tethers/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [“The set of circumstances that justifies the use of deadly force is a situation of immediate danger of death or great bodily harm to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/massad-ayoob/the-set-of-circumstances-that-justifies-the-use-of-deadly-force-is-a/) [Massad Ayoob](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/massad-ayoob/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [The term 'Pre-Raphaelite' is in danger of becoming one of the most misused tags in art history](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-wood/the-term-pre-raphaelite-is-in-danger-of-becoming-one-of-the-most/) Christopher Wood > [There are dangers in consensus: it could be an attempt to satisfy people holding no particular views about anything. ... 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