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At each stage of in the advance of mathematical thought the outstanding characteristics are novelty and originality. That is why mathematics is such a delight to study, such a challenge to practise and such a puzzle to define.

— George Frederick James Temple

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More quotes by George Frederick James Temple

The dull and pedestrian researches of Todhunter on the histories of probability, the calculus of variations and the theory of elasticity will always preserve their value for the historiographer.

The historical approach introduces us personally to the great mathematicians and infuses a humane and genial spirit into what can be the most arid and abstract study.

Only by a study of the development of mathematics can its contemporary significance be understood.

The 'language theory' is inadequate as a description of the nature of mathematics.

Mathematical activity has taken the forms of a science, a philosophy and an art.

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