Leonhard Euler

Mathematics Swiss 1707 – 1783 338 quotes

Most prolific mathematician in history

Quotes by Leonhard Euler

Doubt leads to discovery.

Scientific method

The universe is a grand mathematical symphony.

Cosmological reflection

Happiness resides in intellectual fulfillment.

Personal letter

Challenges forge the strength of character.

On blindness 1771

The interplay of theory and practice enriches both.

Professional advice

Innovation springs from bold conjecture.

Methodological note

The elegance of proof captivates the soul.

Reflective

Mathematics bridges the earthly and divine.

Philosophical

Rest in the assurance of eternal truths.

Last words variant 1783

For since the fabric of the universe is most perfect and the work of a most wise Creator, nothing at all takes place in the universe in which some rule of maximum or minimum does not appear.

Methodus inveniendi lineas curvas maximi minimive proprietate gaudentes, sive solutio problematis isoperimetrici latissimo sensu accepti 1744

Mathematicians have tried in vain to discover some order in the sequence of prime numbers but we have every reason to believe that there are some mysteries into which the human mind will never penetrate.

Letter to Christian Goldbach

e^(iπ) + 1 = 0

Introductio in analysin infinitorum 1748

Although I am not a mathematician, I can assure you that the universe is not a chaotic jumble of matter, but a beautifully ordered system, governed by precise mathematical laws.

Attributed

To those who ask what the use of mathematics is, I answer: study it, and you will know.

Attributed

For the sake of brevity, I will use the symbol 'i' to denote the square root of -1.

Institutiones calculi integralis 1777

It is not because of any defect in the human mind that we have not yet discovered a method for finding all prime numbers, but because of the nature of the numbers themselves.

Attributed

The more I study, the more I am convinced that the world is governed by mathematical laws.

Attributed

Mathematics is the language of nature.

Attributed

Nothing takes place in the universe in which some rule of maximum or minimum does not appear.

Methodus inveniendi lineas curvas maximi minimive proprietate gaudentes, sive solutio problematis isoperimetrici latissimo sensu accepti 1744

The value of 'e' is approximately 2.71828.

Introductio in analysin infinitorum 1748