A Dictionary of Quotations in Mathematics

Book excerpt: Simeon-Denis Poisson, a French mathematician, once remarked, “Life is good for only two things, discovering mathematics and teaching mathematics.” A bit of an overstatement to some, those students and teachers who have dedicated their careers and lives to mathematics find much truth in Poisson’s declaration. This work contains almost 3,000 quotations in mathematics. It is divided into thirty-eight chapters and 389 sections that present quotations over a spectrum from God and religion to the nature of infinity. A few more of the many areas covered: historical origins, linguistics, the arts, mathematicians themselves, logic, real and idealized space, number theory, algebra, computers, probability theory, and statistics. Immensely useful for speeches, papers, presentations—and endlessly entertaining for browsing. Fully indexed by author and keyword.