The lack of real contact between mathematics and biology is either a tragedy, a scandal or a challenge, it is hard to decide which.

Our faith in Mathematics is not likely to wane if we openly acknowledge that the personalities of even the greatest mathematicians may be as flawed as those of anyone else.

If we have no idea why a statement is true, we can still prove it by induction.

Very little mathematics has direct applications - though fortunately most of it has plenty of indirect ones.

Philosophers and psychiatrists should explain why it is that we mathematicians are in the habit of systematically erasing our footsteps. Scientists have always looked askance at this strange habit of mathematicians, which has changed little from Pythagoras to our day.

Mathematicians also make terrible salesmen. Physicists can discover the same thing as a mathematician and say 'We've discovered a great new law of nature. Give us a billion dollars.' And if it doesn't change the world, then they say, 'There's an even deeper thing. Give us another billion dollars.'

The advice we give others is the advice that we ourselves need.