Andrew Wiles

It was a very solitary existence for those seven years.

The joy of discovery is what keeps mathematicians going.

Mathematics is not just about numbers; it's about patterns and relationships.

I believe that everyone has the potential to appreciate the beauty of mathematics.

The proof was a culmination of centuries of mathematical thought.

It's important to have a deep understanding of the foundations before you can build something new.

The pursuit of truth is a fundamental human endeavor, and mathematics is a powerful tool in that pursuit.

I was driven by a sense of duty to solve this problem.

The elegance of a mathematical proof can be as striking as a work of art.

Don't be afraid to ask 'why?' That's where true understanding begins.

The journey of mathematical discovery is often more important than the destination.

Mathematics provides a framework for understanding the universe.

You're working on something for so long, and you're so immersed in it, and then suddenly you see it in a completely new way. It's like walking into a dark room and suddenly someone turns on the light.

I think I'd better go and have a cup of coffee.

Perhaps I can best describe my experience of doing mathematics in terms of a journey through a dark, unexplored mansion. You enter the first room of the mansion and it's completely dark. You stumble around, bumping into the furniture, but gradually you learn where each piece of furniture is. Finally, after six months or so, you find the light switch, you turn it on, and suddenly it's all illuminated. You can see exactly where you were. Then you move into the next room and spend another six months in the dark. So each of these breakthroughs, even the minor ones, has that feeling of suddenly seeing where you were going.

The problem with Fermat's Last Theorem is that it's so simple to state, but so incredibly difficult to prove. It's like a beautiful flower with a poisonous stem.

Mathematics is about finding patterns. And if you're lucky, you find a pattern that nobody else has seen before.

I was very lucky that I had a problem that I could work on in isolation. If it had been a problem that required a lot of collaboration, I don't think I would have succeeded.

You don't just wake up one morning and decide to prove Fermat's Last Theorem. It's a long, slow process of chipping away at the problem.

The moment you think you've got it, you probably haven't.