Steven Strogatz quotes:
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I loved this smart, funny, big-hearted novel. As hilarious and wise as early Philip Roth, The Mathematician's Shiva will delight and move you.
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When you create something new, you're breaking tradition - which is an act of defiance.
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When you love a problem, its contours, obstacles and resistances are all just part of its character.
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Change is most sluggish at the extremes precisely because the derivative is zero there.
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In mathematics, our freedom lies in the questions we ask ? and in how we pursue them ? but not in the answers awaiting us.
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Looking at numbers as groups of rocks may seem unusual, but actually it's as old as math itself. The word "calculate" reflects that legacy - it comes from the Latin word calculus, meaning a pebble used for counting. To enjoy working with numbers you don't have to be Einstein (German for "one stone"), but it might help to have rocks in your head.
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One of the pleasures of looking at the world through mathematical eyes is that you can see certain patterns that would otherwise be hidden.