“A mathematician of the first rank, Laplace quickly revealed himself as only a mediocre administrator; from his first work we saw that we had been deceived. Laplace saw no question from its true point of view; he sought subtleties everywhere; had only doubtful ideas, and finally carried the spirit of the infinitely small into administration.” FirstsIdeasSpiritWorkViewsSawsMathematicsMathPoint Of ViewAdministrationMathematicalMediocrityMathematicianMediocreDeceivedDoubtfulSubtletyAdministrators Author:Napoleon Bonaparte
“Courage is not a quality one normally associates with mathematicians. Yet it should apply to people who work in their attics in secret for seven years without cease on a problem that has eluded the greatest mathematical minds since first proposed in 1637.” PeopleShouldYearsMindFirstsProblemSecretQualitySevenCeaseMathematicalMathematicianAssociatesSeven YearsAttics Author:Charles Krauthammer