“We wish to see… the typical attitude of the scientist who uses mathematics to understand the world around us. …In the solution of a problem …there are typically three phases.”

“Despair is typical of those who do not understand the causes of evil, see no way out, and are incapable of struggle.”

“The typical Westerner wishes to be the cause of as many changes as possible in his environment; the typical Chinaman wishes to enjoy as much and as delicately as possible.”

“If we deal with our problem not knowing, or pretending not to know the general theory encompassing the concrete case before us, if we tackle the problem "with bare hands", we have a better chance to understand the scientist's attitude in general, and especially the task of the applied mathematician.”

“This conviction of the solvability of every mathematical problem is a powerful incentive to the worker. We hear within us the perpetual call: There is the problem. Seek its solution. You can find it by pure reason, for in mathematics there is no ignorabimus.”

“Science is a special kind of explanation of the things we see around us. It starts with a problem and curiosity. Something strikes the scientist as odd. It doesn’t fit in with the usual explanation. Maybe harder thinking or more careful observation will resolve the problem. If it remains apuzzle, it stimulates the scientist’s imagination.”

“The typical user of a food bank is not someone that's languishing in poverty, it's someone who has a cash flow problem.”

“There’s as many atoms in a single molecule of your DNA as there are stars in the typical galaxy. We are, each of us, a little universe.”

“Pure mathematics is useless to ordinary people, but useful to those who wish to understand Absolute Truth, God or Infinity. Applied maths is useful in our daily life.”

“Scientists are typically good at making scientific progress, but not particularly good at articulating what the progress consists of.”