“Euclid's manner of exposition, progressing relentlessly from the data to the unknown and from the hypothesis to the conclusion, is perfect for checking the argument in detail but far from being perfect for making understandable the main line of the argument.”

— George Pólya , book How to Solve It

Source: How to Solve It (1945), p. 70

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George Pólya 35

Hungarian mathematician 1887–1985

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Quotes, undated

“Don't pointless things have a place, too, in this far-from-perfect world?”

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Source: Sputnik Sweetheart

“Euclid's manner of exposition, progressing relentlessly from the data to the unknown and from the hypothesis to the conclusion, is perfect for checking the argument in detail but far from being perfect for making understandable the main line of the argument.”

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George Pólya 35

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