As long as a branch of science offers an abundance of problems, so long it is alive; a lack of problems foreshadows extinction or the cessation of independent development.

Mathematics knows no races or geographic boundaries; for mathematics, the cultural world is one country.

Sometimes it happens that a man's circle of horizon becomes smaller and smaller, and as the radius approaches zero it concentrates on one point. And then that becomes his point of view.

Mathematics is a game played according to certain simple rules with meaningless marks on paper.

Some people have got a mental horizon of radius zero and call it their point of view.

If I were to awaken after having slept for a thousand years, my first question would be: Has the Riemann hypothesis been proven?

Begin with the simplest examples.

For us there is no ignorabimus, and in my opinion none whatever in natural science. In opposition to the foolish ignorabimus our slogan shall be: "We must know - we will know!"

If one were to bring ten of the wisest men in the world together and ask them what was the most stupid thing in existence, they would not be able to discover anything so stupid as astrology.

The art of doing mathematics consists in finding that special case which contains all the germs of generality.

Physics is becoming too difficult for the physicists.

A constitution, as important as it is, will mean nothing unless the people are yearning for liberty and freedom.

God did not create humans to be confused about God, Humans confused humans about God

The vow that binds too quickly snaps itself.

A cloud is made of billows upon billows upon billows that look like clouds. As you come closer to a cloud you don't get something smooth, but irregularities at a smaller scale.

If we can abandon our missionary zeal we have less chance of being eaten by cannibals.

Everybody welcome-especially elders who smoke.

Our Exhibitions [The Royal Academy] have... a mischievous tendency, by seducing the Painter to an ambition of pleasing indiscriminately the mixed multitude of people who resort to them.

A good painter has two main objects to paint, man and the intention of his soul.

You are only as big as your dreams.

Truth is the only healthy place from which to speak. Assumption is the birthplace of godless chatter.