The best way to learn is to do; the worst way to teach is to talk. Paul Halmos More Quotes by Paul Halmos More Quotes From Paul Halmos The library is the mathematician's laboratory. Paul Halmos mathematician laboratory library ... the student skit at Christmas contained a plaintive line: "Give us Master's exams that our faculty can pass, or give us a faculty that can pass our Master's exams." Paul Halmos lines math giving If the NSF had never existed, if the government had never funded American mathematics, we would have half as many mathematicians as we now have, and I don't see anything wrong with that. Paul Halmos government half science The most spectacular thing about Johnny [von Neumann] was not his power as a mathematician, which was great, or his insight and his clarity, but his rapidity; he was very, very fast. And like the modern computer, which no longer bothers to retrieve the logarithm of 11 from its memory (but, instead, computes the logarithm of 11 each time it is needed), Johnny didn't bother to remember things. He computed them. You asked him a question, and if he didn't know the answer, he thought for three seconds and would produce and answer. Paul Halmos memories science thinking The joy of suddenly learning a former secret and the joy of suddenly discovering a hitherto unknown truth are the same to me - both have the flash of enlightenment, the almost incredibly enhanced vision, and the ecstasy and euphoria of released tension. Paul Halmos learning truth math I read once that the true mark of a pro - at anything - is that he understands, loves, and is good at even the drudgery of his profession. Paul Halmos drudgery profession mark Mathematics - this may surprise or shock some - is never deductive in creation. Paul Halmos education math knowledge It saddens me that educated people don't even know that my subject exists. Paul Halmos mathematics educated people The computer is important, but not to mathematics. Paul Halmos mathematics computer important Mathematics is not a deductive science - that's a cliché... What you do is trial and error, experimentation, guesswork. Paul Halmos trial-and-error errors math The author discusses valueless measures in pointless spaces. Paul Halmos seasoning algebra space A clever graduate student could teach Fourier something new, but Paul Halmos graduates students clever The mathematical fraternity is a little like a self-perpetuating priesthood. The mathematicians of today teach the mathematicians of tomorrow and, in effect, decide whom to admit to the priesthood. Paul Halmos self littles today
