Grigori Perelman
A Russian mathematician who proved the Poincaré conjecture, one of the Millennium Prize Problems.
Most quoted
"I'm not interested in money or fame. I don't want to be on display like an animal in a zoo. I am not a hero of mathematics. I am not even that successful. That is why I don't want to be interviewed."
— from Interview with The New Yorker (though he refused to be interviewed directly, this sentiment was reported)
"I'm not interested in money or fame. I don't want to be a zoo animal. I am not a hero of mathematics. I am not even that successful. That is why I don't want to speak publicly."
— from Interview with The New Yorker
"I believe that the main reason for my refusal is that I am not satisfied with the organized mathematical community. I do not like their decisions, I consider them unfair."
— from Interview with Interfax, 2010
All quotes by Grigori Perelman (413)
Fame is a distraction from the infinite.
The soul of mathematics lies in its unspoken truths.
Why speak when equations whisper?
Rejection of honors is my way of honoring truth.
The Poincaré conjecture was a puzzle; solving it was inevitable.
I live for the problem, not the solution's applause.
Mathematics teaches humility before the unknown.
Prizes are for those who seek the spotlight; I seek the shadows.
In the flow of Ricci, all manifolds converge.
Silence is the purest form of communication.
Why accept a medal when the theorem is its own crown?
Existence is a conjecture waiting to be proven.
I refuse publicity because truth doesn't need a stage.
The universe's geometry bends but never breaks.
Loneliness fuels discovery.
Awards are illusions; proofs are reality.
In math, every question hides a deeper one.
I choose obscurity over ostentation.
The mind's eye sees what words cannot.
Declining the prize was my greatest proof.
Contemporaries of Grigori Perelman
Other Mathematicss born within 50 years of Grigori Perelman (1966).