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The element of play, which makes recreational mathematics recreational, may take many forms: a puzzle to be solved, a competitive game, a magic trick, paradox, fallacy, or simply mathematics with any sort of curious or amusing fillip.

— Martin Gardner The Scientific American Book of Mathematical Puzzles & Diversions (1959)

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Mathematics

More quotes by Martin Gardner

Mathemagical mathematics combines the beauty of mathematical structure with the entertainment value of a trick.

There is still a difference between something and nothing, but it is purely geometrical and there is nothing behind the geometry.

The Mathematical Magic Show (1978)

In many cases a dull proof can be supplemented by a geometric analogue so simple and beautiful that the truth of a theorem is almost seen at a glance.

Although Lewis Carroll thought of The Hunting of the Snark as a nonsense ballad for children, it is hard to imagine—in fact one shudders to imagine—a child of today reading and enjoying it.

The Annotated Snark (1962)

As I have often said, electrons and gerbils don't cheat. People do.

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Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist.

Kenneth Boulding to Kenneth Boulding in: United States. Congress. House (1973)

If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: infinite.

William Blake The Marriage of Heaven and Hell (1790)

Pure mathematics consists entirely of assertions to the effect that, if such and such a proposition is true of anything, then such and such another proposition is true of that thing.

Bertrand Russell

The land of easy mathematics where he who works adds up and he who retires subtracts.

Núria Añó

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Martin Gardner (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.