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André Weil Quotes
1906–1998 France
André Weil (6 May 1906 – 6 August 1998) was one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century, whether measured by his research work, its influence on future work, exposition or breadth. He is known for his foundational work in number theory and algebraic geometry.
France Academics Historians Mathematicians Also known as: Weil, André
Random André Weil quote
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God exists since mathematics is consistent, and the Devil exists since we cannot prove it.
We should ask our fellow physicists to invent a principle of anti-interference, which would bring light out of two obscurities (Leray and Grothendieck).
Every mathematician worthy of the name has experienced the state of lucid exaltation in which one thought succeeds another as if miraculously. This feeling may last for hours at a time, even for days.
At the time of our early work these notions cast new light upon subjects which were still shrouded in confusion: even the meaning of the term "isomorphism" varied from one theory to another.
The Apprenticeship of a Mathematician (1992)
Is it mere coincidence that in India Pāṇini's invention of grammar had preceded that of decimal notation and negative numbers, and that later on, both grammar and algebra reached the unparalleled heights for which the medieval civilization of the Arabic-speaking world is known?
The Apprenticeship of a Mathematician (1992)
One day it occurred to me to measure the speed with which such rumors were propagated. All I had to do was to start one - the more preposterous the better - at one end of the stadium, and then hasten to the other end to await the results.
The Apprenticeship of a Mathematician (1992)
[M]athematics has this peculiarity, that it is not understood by non-mathematicians..."
Oeuvres Scientifiques (1979)
An important point is that the p-adic field, or respectively the real or complex field, corresponding to a prime ideal, plays exactly the role, in arithmetic, that the field of power series in the neighborhood of a point plays in the theory of functions: that is why one calls it a local field.
In mathematics, perhaps more than in any other branch of knowledge, ideas spring fully armed from the creator's brain; thus mathematical talent usually reveals itself at a young age; and second-rate researchers play a smaller role than elsewhere, the role of a sounding board for a sound they do not contribute to shape.
Hopf, back from Amsterdam, was teaching Brouwer's topology. He had helped arrange lodgings for me quite close to where he lived, rather far from the center of town, and together we would take the long tram ride to the university. One day I asked him what he would do when he got tired of topology. He replied in all seriousness: "But I'll never get tired of topology!"
The Apprenticeship of a Mathematician (1992)
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