Carl Friedrich Gauss Quotes About Mathematics

Quotes about: Mathematics

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  It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Mathematics, Mathematical, Possession

  Letter to Farkas Bolyai, September 02, 1808.

• You know that I write slowly. This is chiefly because I am never satisfied until I have said as much as possible in a few words, and writing briefly takes far more time than writing at length.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Time, Writing, Math

  "Calculus Gems". Book by George F. Simmons, 1992.

• Theory attracts practice as the magnet attracts iron.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Math, Practice, Iron

• I have had my results for a long time: but I do not yet know how I am to arrive at them.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Time, Math, Science

  "The Mind and the Eye: A Study of the Biologist's Standpoint". Book by A. Arber, 1954.

• Mathematics is the queen of science, and arithmetic the queen of mathematics.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Queens, Math, Arithmetic

• There are problems to whose solution I would attach an infinitely greater importance than to those of mathematics, for example touching ethics, or our relation to God, or concerning our destiny and our future; but their solution lies wholly beyond us and completely outside the province of science.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Lying, Math, Science

  "The World of Mathematics". Book by J. R. Newman, 1956.

• Mathematics is the queen of the sciences.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Queens, Math, Arithmetic

  "Gauss zum Gedächtniss". Book by Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen, 1856.

• I mean the word proof not in the sense of the lawyers, who set two half proofs equal to a whole one, but in the sense of a mathematician, where half proof = 0, and it is demanded for proof that every doubt becomes impossible.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Mean, Math, Two

  Letter to Heinrich Wilhelm Matthias Olbers on May 14, 1826. "Calculus Gems". Book by George F. Simmons, 1992.

• Mathematical discoveries, like springtime violets in the woods, have their season which no human can hasten or retard.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Science, Discovery, Woods

• Finally, two days ago, I succeeded - not on account of my hard efforts, but by the grace of the Lord. Like a sudden flash of lightning, the riddle was solved. I am unable to say what was the conducting thread that connected what I previously knew with what made my success possible.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Success, Math, Two

  "Mathematical Circles Squared". Book by Howard W. Eves, 1972.

• I have a true aversion to teaching. The perennial business of a professor of mathematics is only to teach the ABC of his science; most of the few pupils who go a step further, and usually to keep the metaphor, remain in the process of gathering information, become only Halbwisser [one who has superficial knowledge of the subject], for the rarer talents do not want to have themselves educated by lecture courses, but train themselves. And with this thankless work the professor loses his precious time.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Education, Teaching, Science

• I protest against the use of infinite magnitude ..., which is never permissible in mathematics.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Use, Infinite, Mathematics

• It may be true that people who are merely mathematicians have certain specific shortcomings; however that is not the fault of mathematics, but is true of every exclusive occupation. Likewise a mere linguist, a mere jurist, a mere soldier, a mere merchant, and so forth. One could add such idle chatter that when a certain exclusive occupation is often connected with certain specific shortcomings, it is on the other hand always free of certain other shortcomings.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Science, Hands, People

• I am coming more and more to the conviction that the necessity of our geometry cannot be demonstrated, at least neither by, nor for, the human intellect. . . Geometry should be ranked, not with arithmetic, which is purely aprioristic, but with mechanics.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Math, Science, Mechanic

  "Solid Shape". Book by Jan J. Koenderink, 1990.

• It may be true, that men, who are mere mathematicians, have certain specific shortcomings, but that is not the fault of mathematics, for it is equally true of every other exclusive occupation.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Men, Faults, Occupation

  "Gauss-Schumacher Briefwechsel". Book by Carl Friedrich Gauss, 1862.

• We must admit with humility that, while number is purely a product of our minds, space has a reality outside our minds, so that we cannot completely prescribe its properties a priori.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Humility, Math, Reality

  Letter to Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel, 1830.

• In the last two months I have been very busy with my own mathematical speculations, which have cost me much time, without my having reached my original goal. Again and again I was enticed by the frequently interesting prospects from one direction to the other, sometimes even by will-o'-the-wisps, as is not rare in mathematic speculations.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Two, One Direction, Interesting

• It is always noteworthy that all those who seriously study this science [the theory of numbers] conceive a sort of passion for it.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Passion, Numbers, Study

• Mathematics is concerned only with the enumeration and comparison of relations.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Math, Relation, Concerned

• Mathematics is the queen of sciences and number theory is the queen of mathematics. She often condescends to render service to astronomy and other natural sciences, but in all relations she is entitled to the first rank.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Queens, Numbers, Firsts

  "Gauss zum Gedächtniss". Book by Wolfgang Sartorius von Waltershausen, 1856.

• If others would but reflect on mathematical truths as deeply and as continuously as I have, they would make my discoveries.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Truth, Science, Discovery

  "The World of Mathematics". Book by J. R. Newman, 1956.

• A great part of its theories derives an additional charm from the peculiarity that important propositions, with the impress of simplicity on them, are often easily discovered by induction, and yet are of so profound a character that we cannot find the demonstrations till after many vain attempts; and even then, when we do succeed, it is often by some tedious and artificial process, while the simple methods may long remain concealed.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Success, Character, Simple

  "Mathematical Circles Adieu". Book by Howard W. Eves, 1977.

• In mathematics there are no true controversies.

  Carl Friedrich Gauss

  Mathematics, Controversy

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