If one were to bring ten of the wisest men in the world together and ask them what was the most stupid thing in existence, they would not be able to discover anything so stupid as astrology.
David HilbertRead
Wir mussen wissen. Wir werden wissen. We must know. We will know. Inscribed on his tomb in Gilttingen.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of knowledge and the pursuit of understanding.
David Hilbert's quote underscores a profound commitment to knowledge and the belief in humanity's capacity to learn and discover. It reflects the idea that acquiring knowledge is both a necessity and an inevitability, suggesting that the quest for understanding is a fundamental aspect of human existence and advancement.
In practice
In a graduation speech, one might say this quote to inspire students to embrace lifelong learning.
If one were to bring ten of the wisest men in the world together and ask them what was the most stupid thing in existence, they would not be able to discover anything so stupid as astrology.
The art of doing mathematics consists in finding that special case which contains all the germs of generality.
The further a mathematical theory is developed, the more harmoniously and uniformly does its construction proceed, and unsuspected relations are disclosed between hitherto separated branches of the science.
Mathematics is a game played according to certain simple rules with meaningless marks on paper.
No one shall expel us from the paradise that Cantor has created for us.
Mathematical science is in my opinion an indivisible whole, an organism whose vitality is conditioned upon the connection of its parts.
The Creator, in taking infinite pains to shroud with mystery His presence in every atom of creation, could have had but one motive - a sensitive desire that men seek Him only through free will.
There are in truth three states of the converted: the beginning, the middle, and the perfection. In the beginning they experience the charms of sweetness; in the middle the contests of temptation; and in the end the fullness of perfection.
Law is the essential foundation of stability and order both within societies and in international relations.
And I smiled to think God's greatness flowed around our incompleteness; Round our restlessness, His rest.
We are all doing drag. Every single person on this planet is doing it.
Most Americans are exceptionalists; we think we live outside of history.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.