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317 is a prime, not because we think so, or because our minds are shaped in one way rather than another, but because it is so, because mathematical reality is built that way.

— G. H. Hardy A Mathematician's Apology (1941)

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More quotes by G. H. Hardy

A mathematician, like a painter or a poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas.

A Mathematician's Apology (1941)

If I knew I was going to die today, I think I should still want to hear the cricket scores.

A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas.

Chess problems are the hymn-tunes of mathematics.

A Mathematician's Apology (1941)

If a man has any genuine talent, he should be ready to make almost any sacrifice in order to cultivate it to the full.

A Mathematician's Apology (1941)

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