Leonhard Euler

Mathematics Swiss 1707 – 1783 338 quotes

Most prolific mathematician in history

Quotes by Leonhard Euler

The seven bridges of Königsberg problem.

Solutio problematis ad geometriam situs pertinentis 1736

The sum of the reciprocals of the squares of the natural numbers is π²/6.

De summatione serierum 1734

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.

Attributed

The number of vertices minus the number of edges plus the number of faces equals 2 for any convex polyhedron.

Elementa doctrinae solidorum 1758

Geometry is the science of space.

Attributed

The study of mathematics, like the Nile, begins in minuteness but ends in magnificence.

Attributed

The series 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + 1/4 + ... diverges.

De summatione serierum 1734

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.

Attributed (often misattributed to Einstein, but Euler expressed similar sentiments)

Mathematics is the queen of the sciences.

Attributed

The more I read, the more I meditate; the more I acquire, the more I am enabled to do.

Attributed

The number 'e' is the base of the natural logarithm.

Introductio in analysin infinitorum 1748

The square root of -1 is an imaginary number.

Institutiones calculi integralis 1777

The universe is a grand book written in the language of mathematics.

Attributed

The problem of the seven bridges of Königsberg has no solution.

Solutio problematis ad geometriam situs pertinentis 1736

The more we know, the more we realize how much we don't know.

Attributed

The Euler-Lagrange equation is a fundamental result in the calculus of variations.

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

The concept of a function is central to mathematics.

Introductio in analysin infinitorum 1748

The beauty of mathematics lies in its simplicity and elegance.

Attributed

The universe is governed by mathematical laws, and these laws are discoverable by human reason.

Attributed

The number 'e' is irrational.

De fractionibus continuis dissertatio 1737