Keith Devlin: The Unfinished Game

Outside observers often assume that the more complicated a piece of mathematics is, the more mathematicians admire it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Mathematicians admire elegance and simplicity above all else, and the ultimate goal in solving a problem is to find the method that does the job in the most efficient manner.

Even the greatest intellects are prisoners of the age in which they live.

Advances in science are often delayed because the common wisdom holds that something is impossible.

The greatest advantage from gambling comes from not playing at all.

Girolamo Cardano(quoted)