Mathematics is a game played according to certain simple rules with meaningless marks on paper.
David HilbertMathematics knows no races or geographic boundaries; for mathematics, the cultural world is one country.
David Hilbert[On Cantor's work:] The finest product of mathematical genius and one of the supreme achievements of purely intellectual human activity.
David HilbertHow thoroughly it is ingrained in mathematical science that every real advance goes hand in hand with the invention of sharper tools and simpler methods which, at the same time, assist in understanding earlier theories and in casting aside some more complicated developments.
David HilbertI do not want to presuppose anything as known. I see in my explanation in section 1 the definition of the concepts point, straight line and plane, if one adds to these all the axioms of groups i-v as characteristics. If one is looking for other definitions of point, perhaps by means of paraphrase in terms of extensionless, etc., then, of course, I would most decidedly have to oppose such an enterprise. One is then looking for something that can never be found, for there is nothing there, and everything gets lost, becomes confused and vague, and degenerates into a game of hide and seek.
David Hilbert