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The ideas I had about supernatural beings came to me the same way that my mathematical ideas did. So I took them seriously.
John Forbes Nash, Jr.
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Nash suggests that he valued both supernatural and mathematical ideas equally, indicating a deep connection between imagination and logic.

In this quote, John Forbes Nash, Jr. reflects on the nature of his thoughts regarding supernatural beings, equating the processes through which he conceptualized them to his mathematical ideas. This statement emphasizes the legitimacy and significance he attributes to all forms of thought, whether they pertain to the mystical or the analytical, highlighting the interplay between fantasy and rationality in human creativity and understanding.

Themes

IdeasMathematicsSupernaturalCreativityImagination

In practice

Example use cases

This quote could be used in a discussion about the intersection of science and art.

More from John Forbes Nash, Jr.

I don't think exactly like a professional economist. I think about economics and economic ideas, but somewhat like an outsider.
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It is easy to say that there are the rich and the poor, and so something should be done. But in history, there are always the rich and the poor. If the poor were not as poor, we would still call them the poor. I mean, whoever has less can be called the poor. You will always have the 10% that have less and the 10% that have the most.
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People are always selling the idea that people with mental illness are suffering. I think madness can be an escape. If things are not so good, you maybe want to imagine something better.
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I think mental illness or madness can be an escape also. People don't develop a mental illness because they are in the happiest of situations, usually. One doctor observed that it was rare when people were rich to become schizophrenic. If they were poor or didn't have too much money, then it was more likely.
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It's almost as if a demon might have passed from one host to another.
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