Top John Edensor Littlewood Quotes

John Edensor Littlewood Biography

John Edensor Littlewood FRS LLD (9 June 1885 – 6 September 1977) was an English mathematician. He worked on topics relating to analysis, number theory, and differential equations, and had a lengthy collaboration with G. H. Hardy.

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John Edensor Littlewood Quotes

The referee said it was not acceptable, but the Press considered they could not refuse to publish a book by a professor of the university.

Acceptable, Book, Professors, Refuse, Said, University

I listen only to Bach, Beethoven or Mozart. Life is too short to waste on other composers.

Bach, Beethoven, Composer, Life Is Too Short, Listen, Waste

A heavy warning used to be given that pictures are not rigorous; this has never had its bluff called and has permanently frightened its victims into playing for safety.

Bluff, Given, Mathematics, Playing, Safety, Warning

A linguist would be shocked to learn that if a set is not closed this does not mean that it is open, or again that "E is dense in E" does not mean the same thing as "E is dense in itself".

Learn, Learning, Math, Mean, Open, Set

A good mathematical joke is better, and better mathematics, than a dozen mediocre papers.

Good, Joke, Math, Mathematics, Mediocrity, Paper

I recall once saying that when I had given the same lecture several times I couldn't help feeling that they really ought to know it by now.

Feelings, Lectures, Math, Ought, Saying, Several

The theory of numbers is particularly liable to the accusation that some of its problems are the wrong sort of questions to ask. I do not myself think the danger is serious; either a reasonable amount of concentration leads to new ideas or methods of obvious interest, or else one just leaves the problem alone. "Perfect numbers" certainly never did any good, but then they never did any particular harm.

Ideas, Interest, Math, Particular, Questions, Thinking

A precisian professor had the habit of saying: ". . . quartic polynomial ax^4+bx^3+cx^2+dx+e , where e need not be the base of the natural logarithms. "

Habit, Logarithms, Math, Needs, Precisian

The infinitely competent can be uncreative.

Competent, Infinitely, Math, Mathematical, Mathematics, Uncreative

The higher mental activities are pretty tough and resilient, but it is a devastating experience if the drive does stop. Some people lose it in their forties and can only stop. In England they are a source of Vice-Chancellors.

Doe, Mental, People, Stop, Tough, Vices

Try a hard problem. You may not solve it, but you will prove something else.

Hard, May, Problem, Solve, Trying

The first lecture of each new year renews for most people a light stage fright.

Fright, Light, New Year, People, Years

The first test of potential in mathematics is whether you can get anything out of geometry.

Firsts, Geometry, Mathematics, Potential, Test, Tests

In passing, I firmly believe that research should be offset by a certain amount of teaching, if only as a change from the agony of research. The trouble, however, I freely admit, is that in practice you get either no teaching, or else far too much.

Amount, Believe, Change, Passing, Teaching

I read in the proof sheets of Hardy on Ramanujan: "As someone said, each of the positive integers was one of his personal friends. " My reaction was, "I wonder who said that; I wish I had. " In the next proof-sheets I read (what now stands), "It was Littlewood who said. . . "

Friendship, Hardy, Math, Said, Wish, Wonder

Mathematics is a dangerous profession; an appreciable proportion of us go mad.

Appreciable, Mad, Mathematics, Proportion

The surprising thing about this paper is that a man who could write it would.

Man, Math, Paper, Science, Surprising, Writing

John Edensor Littlewood Biography

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