“Concern for the symbol has completely disappeared from our science . And yet, if one were to give oneself the trouble, one could easily find, in certain parts at least of contemporary mathematics... symbols as clear, as beautiful, and as full of spiritual meaning as that of the circle and mediation. From modern thought to ancient wisdom the path would be short and direct, if one cared to take it.” IfsGivingWould BeBeautifulSpiritualCertainPathClearTroubleModernConcernDirectMathematicsAncientOneselfCirclesContemporarySymbolsMediationAncient Wisdom Book:The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind Source: The Need for Roots: Prelude to a Declaration of Duties Towards Mankind
“If you are receptive and humble, mathematics will lead you by the hand. Again and again, when I have been at a loss how to proceed, I have just had to wait until I have felt the mathematics led me by the hand. It has led me along an unexpected path, a path where new vistas open up, a path leading to new territory, where one can set up a base of operations, from which one can survey the surroundings and plan future progress.” IfsHas BeensHandsFeltWaitingLossPathProgressPlansMathematicsHumbleOperationsUnexpectedTerritoryAgain And AgainSurroundingsSurveysReceptiveVistasNew TerritoryFuture Progress Author:Paul Dirac
“I came to the ... open gate of mathematics. From here, well-trodden paths lead in every direction, and since then I have often spent time there. Sometimes I think ... I have trodden all the paths ... and then I suddenly discover a new path and experience fresh delights.” ThinkingWellsSometimesPathMathematicsDelightGatesLead InNew Paths Author:M. C. Escher
“I think mathematics is a vast territory. The outskirts of mathematics are the outskirts of mathematical civilization. There are certain subjects that people learn about and gather together. Then there is a sort of inevitable development in those fields. You get to the point where a certain theorem is bound to be proved, independent of any particular individual, because it is just in the path of development.” PeopleThinkingTogetherCertainIndividualPathSubjectsFieldsParticularDevelopmentCivilizationMathematicsIndependentBoundsMathematicalInevitableTerritoryTheorems Author:William Thurston
“That's how you write novels actually. You suddenly hit upon something and you realize this is the path you were meant to take. You'd be a fool if you didn't follow it. Perhaps it's like solving a difficult question in pure mathematics. There must be a moment when the solution is so simple and evident that you wonder why you hadn't come upon it before. When you do come upon it, you know it in the deepest part of your being. It carries its own logic.” IfsKnowsWritingMomentsDifficultRealizingSimpleWonderNovelPathFoolPureSolutionsLogicMathematicsCarrieEvidentDifficult Questions Author:Don DeLillo