Home / Quotes / Quote by David Hilbert

Quote by David Hilbert

“No other question has ever moved so profoundly the spirit of man; no other idea has so fruitfully stimulated his intellect; yet no other concept stands in greater need of clarification than that of the infinite.”

Quote by David Hilbert

Author

David Hilbert, a German mathematician born on January 23, 1862, and died on February 14, 1943, was one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century. He is renowned for his contributions to the foundations of mathematics, geometry, number theory, and functional analysis. more

You May Also Like

“The art of doing mathematics consists in finding that special case which contains all the germs of generality.”

Art Cases Special Findings Mathematics Math Mathematical Statistics Germs Generalities

Author:David Hilbert

“One can measure the importance of a scientific work by the number of earlier publications rendered superfluous by it”

Science Work Numbers Importance Mathematics Math Mathematical Engineering Publication Superfluous

Author:David Hilbert

“Galileo was no idiot. Only an idiot could believe that science requires martyrdom - that may be necessary in religion, but in time a scientific result will establish itself.”

Believe May Time Belief Results Mathematics Math Mathematical Idiot Martyrdom

Author:David Hilbert

“My beautiful proof lies all in ruins.”

Beautiful Lying Proof Ruins

Author:Georg Cantor

“I realize that in this undertaking I place myself in a certain opposition to views widely held concerning the mathematical infinite and to opinions frequently defended on the nature of numbers.”

Certain Realizing Views Numbers Opinion Infinite Mathematical Opposition Undertakings

Author:Georg Cantor

“The fear of infinity is a form of myopia that destroys the possibility of seeing the actual infinite, even though it in its highest form has created and sustains us, and in its secondary transfinite forms occurs all around us and even inhabits our minds.”

Mind Form Seeing Possibility Highest Logic Infinite Certainty Uncertainty Reasoning Infinity Ontology Myopia

Author:Georg Cantor

“Mathematics, in the development of its ideas, has only to take account of the immanent reality of its concepts and has absolutely no obligation to examine their transient reality.”

Ideas Reality Development Concepts Accounts Mathematics Obligation Transient

Author:Georg Cantor

“There is no doubt that we cannot do without variable quantities in the sense of the potential infinite. But from this very fact the necessity of the actual infinite can be demonstrated.”

Facts Doubt Infinite No Doubt Quantity Variables

Author:Georg Cantor

“The introduction of the cipher 0 or the group concept was general nonsense too, and mathematics was more or less stagnating for thousands of years because nobody was around to take such childish steps.”

Years Steps Groups Concepts Mathematics Math Nonsense Introduction Ciphers

Author:Alexander Grothendieck

“A different image came to me a few weeks ago. The unknown thing to be known appeared to me as some stretch of earth or hard marl, resisting penetration... the sea advances insensibly in silence, nothing seems to happen, nothing moves, the water is so far off you hardly hear it... yet finally it surrounds the resistant substance.”

Different Seems Happens Earth Moving Water Known Week Sea Surround Resisting Penetration Unknown Things

Author:Alexander Grothendieck