I read once that the true mark of a pro - at anything - is that he understands, loves, and is good at even the drudgery of his profession.

The beginner should not be discouraged if he finds he does not have the prerequisites for reading the prerequisites.

The heart of mathematics is its problems.

... the student skit at Christmas contained a plaintive line: "Give us Master's exams that our faculty can pass, or give us a faculty that can pass our Master's exams."

The joy of suddenly learning a former secret and the joy of suddenly discovering a hitherto unknown truth are the same to me - both have the flash of enlightenment, the almost incredibly enhanced vision, and the ecstasy and euphoria of released tension.

When a student comes and asks, "Should I become a mathematician?" the answer should be no. If you have to ask, you shouldn't even ask.

Applied mathematics will always need pure mathematics just as anteaters will always need ants.