Augustin-Louis Cauchy

Mathematics French 1789 – 1857 546 quotes

Rigorized calculus and founded complex analysis

Most quoted

"I am a Christian, that is to say, I believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, like Bossuet and Pascal, like Corneille and Racine, and like so many other great men who have been illustrious in the sciences and in letters. The more I study nature, the more I am amazed at the works of the Creator. The more I study mathematics, the more I admire the wisdom of God."

"The mean value theorem for derivatives states that if a function is continuous on a closed interval and differentiable on the open interval, then there exists at least one point in the open interval where the derivative of the function is equal to the average rate of change of the function over the interval."

— from Cours d'Analyse de l'École Royale Polytechnique, 1821

"A function is continuous if, for every value of the variable between given limits, the numerical value of the difference between two successive values of the function becomes indefinitely small with the numerical value of the difference between the corresponding values of the variable."

— from Cours d'Analyse, 1821

All quotes by Augustin-Louis Cauchy (546)

The residue theorem simplifies contour integrals.

Mémoire 1825

Aphorism: Precision in math, clarity in life.

Saying 1830

Elastic curves obey differential geometry.

Exercices 1827

God’s design is evident in mathematical harmony.

Religious note 1840

The Cauchy sequence defines completeness.

Cours d'analyse 1821

Perseverance through adversity defines character.

Exile letter 1831

In politics, I support legitimate authority.

Public statement 1830

Teaching math is an art of illumination.

Lecture notes 1816

The fundamental theorem of algebra holds by analysis.

Cours d'analyse 1821

Reflections on youth: passion for numbers.

Early diary 1805

Witty reply to a rival: Your proof has holes larger than limits!

Anecdote 1825

Vector calculus emerges from scalar fields.

Later works 1840

The beauty of a proof is its elegance.

Speech 1835

Correspondence with Poisson on heat conduction.

Letter 1820

Life is a series of convergences and divergences.

Metaphorical reflection 1850

In science, humility before nature.

Note 1845

The gamma function extends factorial.

Mémoire 1814

Political aphorism: Stability fosters innovation.

Saying 1830

Humor: Integrals are just sums in disguise.

Classroom joke 1820

Fourier series require careful convergence.

Critique 1826