Pierre de Fermat

Mathematics French 1601 – 1665 270 quotes

Father of modern number theory

Quotes by Pierre de Fermat

The last theorem of Fermat is not a theorem, but a riddle.

Attributed (though likely a later commentary on his work)

It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well.

Attributed (common philosophical sentiment)

I am a mathematician, not a philosopher.

Attributed (likely a response to philosophical inquiries)

Nature is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.

Attributed (a concept explored by many thinkers, not exclusively Fermat)

The true method of discovery is to have no method.

Attributed (a sentiment about intuition in discovery)

Mathematics is the language in which God has written the universe.

Attributed (a common sentiment among mathematicians of his era)

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

Attributed (a sentiment shared by many, not uniquely Fermat)

I have found a most elegant demonstration of this theorem, but I cannot write it here; the margin is too small.

Fermat's Last Theorem, marginal note in Diophantus' Arithmetica (variant translation)

The joy of discovery is certainly the liveliest of all.

Attributed

One must always be prepared to abandon a hypothesis when it is contradicted by experiment.

Attributed (a principle of scientific inquiry)

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only one page.

Attributed (a common proverb, not necessarily Fermat's original)

Truth is not only stranger than fiction, it is more beautiful.

Attributed

I have no doubt that the most profound truths are the simplest.

Attributed

The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge.

Attributed

Life is a journey, not a destination.

Attributed (a common philosophical saying)

The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.

Attributed (a sentiment about discovery and wonder)

To understand is to perceive patterns.

Attributed

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.

Attributed (Socrates' famous quote, often misattributed)

What we know is a drop, what we don't know is an ocean.

Attributed (Isaac Newton's quote, often misattributed)

The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple.

Attributed