“Georg Cantor claimed the essence of mathematics lies in its freedom. But mathematicians do not pick problems from thin air for the pleasure of solving them. To the contrary, a mark of greatness resides in the ability to identify the most interesting problems in the framework of what is already known.”

Source: The Fractalist (2012), Ch. 17, p. 178

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Benoît Mandelbrot 56
Polish-born, French and American mathematician 1924–2010

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