I don't believe Fermat had a proof. I think he fooled himself into thinking he had a proof. Andrew Wiles More Quotes by Andrew Wiles More Quotes From Andrew Wiles I loved doing problems in school. Andrew Wiles problems-in-schoolproblemschool It's fine to work on any problem, so long as it generates interesting mathematics along the way - even if you don't solve it at the end of the day. Andrew Wiles worklonginteresting There are proofs that date back to the Greeks that are still valid today. Andrew Wiles proofgreektoday That particular odyssey is now over. My mind is now at rest. Andrew Wiles odysseyparticularmind The only way I could relax was when I was with my children. Andrew Wiles relaxchildrenway I really believed that I was on the right track, but that did not mean that I would necessarily reach my goal Andrew Wiles trackgoalmean But the best problem I ever found, I found in my local public library. Andrew Wiles libraryproblemfound I was very lucky that not only did I solve the problem, but I opened the door for a whole new era in my field, problems that had previously seemed inaccessible, now became open. Andrew Wiles top-news I knew from that moment that I would never let it go, i had to solve it. Andrew Wiles top-news I hope that seeing the excitement of solving this problem will make young mathematicians realize that there are lots and lots of other problems in mathematics which are going to be just as challenging in the future. Andrew Wiles problemsfuturemathematicshope I loved doing problems in school. I'd take them home and make up new ones of my own. But the best problem I ever found, I found in my local public library. I was just browsing through the section of math books and I found this one book, which was all about one particular problem - Fermat's Last Theorem. Andrew Wiles bestlibraryhomeschool Well, some mathematics problems look simple, and you try them for a year or so, and then you try them for a hundred years, and it turns out that they're extremely hard to solve. Andrew Wiles lookyoumathematicssimple I realized that anything to do with Fermat's Last Theorem generates too much interest. Andrew Wiles anythinglastinteresttoo-much Perhaps the methods I needed to complete the proof would not be invented for a hundred years. So even if I was on the right track, I could be living in the wrong century. Andrew Wiles wrongrightlivingyears
