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 GaussNo contradictions will arise as long as Finite Man does not mistake the infinite for something fixed, as long as he is not led by an acquired habit of mind to regard the infinite as something bounded.
Carl Friedrich GaussThe problem of distinguishing prime numbers from composite numbers and of resolving the latter into their prime factors is known to be one of the most important and useful in arithmetic. It has engaged the industry and wisdom of ancient and modern geometers to such an extent that it would be superfluous to discuss the problem at length. ... Further, the dignity of the science itself seems to require that every possible means be explored for the solution of a problem so elegant and so celebrated.
Carl Friedrich GaussSin2 ฯ is odious to me, even though Laplace made use of it; should it be feared that sin2 ฯ might become ambiguous, which would perhaps never occur, or at most very rarely when speaking of sin(ฯ2), well then, let us write (sin ฯ)2, but not sin2 ฯ, which by analogy should signify sin (sin ฯ)
Carl Friedrich Gauss