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Martin Gardner Quotes

The greatest scandal of the century in American psychiatry ... is the growing mania among thousands of inept therapists, family counselors, and social workers for arousing false memories of childhoood sexual abuse Picture Quote #1

One day, when I was doing well in class and had finished my lessons, I was sitting there trying to analyze the game of tic-tac-toe... The teacher came along and snatched my papers on which I had been doodling... She did not realize that analyzing tic-tac-toe can lead into dozens of non-trivial mathematical questions Picture Quote #1

There are, and always have been, destructive pseudo-scientific notions linked to race and religion; these are the most widespread and damaging. Hopefully, educated people can succeed in shedding light into these areas of prejudice and ignorance, for as Voltaire once said: ‘Men will commit atrocities as long as they believe absurdities Picture Quote #1

Politicians, real-estate agents, used-car salesmen, and advertising copy-writers are expected to stretch facts in self-serving directions, but scientists who falsify their results are regarded by their peers as committing an inexcusable crime. Yet the sad fact is that the history of science swarms with cases of outright fakery and instances of scientists who unconsciously distorted their work by seeing it through lenses of passionately held beliefs Picture Quote #1

Debunking bad science should be constant obligation of the science community, even if it takes time away from serious research or seems to be a losing battle. One takes comfort from the fact there is no Gresham’s laws in science. In the long run, good science drives out bad Picture Quote #1

As I have often said, electrons and gerbils don’t cheat. People do Picture Quote #1

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Mathematics is not only real, but it is the only reality Picture Quote #1

The universe is almost like a huge magic trick and scientists are trying to figure out how it does what it does Picture Quote #1

Indeed, there is something to be said for the old math when taught by a poorly trained teacher. He can, at least, get across the fundamental rules of calculation without too much confusion. The same teacher trying to teach new math is apt to get across nothing at all Picture Quote #1

In no other branch of mathematics is it so easy for experts to blunder as in probability theory Picture Quote #1

A surprising proportion of mathematicians are accomplished musicians. Is it because music and mathematics share patterns that are beautiful? Picture Quote #1

A God whose creation is so imperfect that he must be continually adjusting it to make it work properly seems to me a God of relatively low order, hardly worthy of any worship Picture Quote #1

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Speaking about symmetry, look out our window, and you may see a cardinal attacking its reflection in the window. The cardinal is the only bird we have who often does this. If it has a nest nearby, the cardinal thinks there is another cardinal trying to invade its territory. It never realizes it is attacking its own reflection. Cardinals don’t know much about mirror symmetry! Picture Quote #1

All mathematicians share... a sense of amazement over the infinite depth and the mysterious beauty and usefulness of mathematics Picture Quote #1

Biographical history, as taught in our public schools, is still largely a history of boneheads; ridiculous kings and queens, paranoid political leaders, compulsive voyagers, ignorant general the flotsam and jetsam of historical currents. The men who radically altered history, the great scientists and mathematicians, are seldom mentioned, if at all Picture Quote #1

If present trends continue, our country may soon find itself far behind many other nations in both science and technology nations where, if you inform strangers that you are a mathematician, they respond with admiration and not by telling you how much they hated math in school, and how they sure could use you to balance their checkbooks Picture Quote #1

If all sentient beings in the universe disappeared, there would remain a sense in which mathematical objects and theorems would continue to exist even though there would be no one around to write or talk about them. Huge prime numbers would continue to be prime, even if no one had proved them prime Picture Quote #1

Modern science should indeed arouse in all of us a humility before the immensity of the unexplored and a tolerance for crazy hypotheses Picture Quote #1

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In many cases a dull proof can be supplemented by a geometric analogue so simple and beautiful that the truth of a theorem is almost seen at a glance Picture Quote #1

There is still a difference between something and nothing, but it is purely geometrical and there is nothing behind the geometry Picture Quote #1

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The greatest scandal of the century in American psychiatry ... is the growing mania among thousands of inept therapists, family counselors, and social workers for arousing false memories of childhoood sexual abuse. (Martin Gardner Quotes) One day, when I was doing well in class and had finished my lessons, I was sitting there trying to analyze the game of tic-tac-toe... The teacher came along and snatched my papers on which I had been doodling... She did not realize that analyzing tic-tac-toe can lead into dozens of non-trivial mathematical questions (Martin Gardner Quotes) There are, and always have been, destructive pseudo-scientific notions linked to race and religion; these are the most widespread and damaging. Hopefully, educated people can succeed in shedding light into these areas of prejudice and ignorance, for as Voltaire once said: ‘Men will commit atrocities as long as they believe absurdities (Martin Gardner Quotes) Politicians, real-estate agents, used-car salesmen, and advertising copy-writers are expected to stretch facts in self-serving directions, but scientists who falsify their results are regarded by their peers as committing an inexcusable crime. Yet the sad fact is that the history of science swarms with cases of outright fakery and instances of scientists who unconsciously distorted their work by seeing it through lenses of passionately held beliefs (Martin Gardner Quotes) Debunking bad science should be constant obligation of the science community, even if it takes time away from serious research or seems to be a losing battle. One takes comfort from the fact there is no Gresham’s laws in science. In the long run, good science drives out bad (Martin Gardner Quotes) As I have often said, electrons and gerbils don’t cheat. People do (Martin Gardner Quotes) Mathematics is not only real, but it is the only reality (Martin Gardner Quotes) The universe is almost like a huge magic trick and scientists are trying to figure out how it does what it does (Martin Gardner Quotes) Indeed, there is something to be said for the old math when taught by a poorly trained teacher. He can, at least, get across the fundamental rules of calculation without too much confusion. The same teacher trying to teach new math is apt to get across nothing at all (Martin Gardner Quotes) In no other branch of mathematics is it so easy for experts to blunder as in probability theory (Martin Gardner Quotes) A surprising proportion of mathematicians are accomplished musicians. Is it because music and mathematics share patterns that are beautiful? (Martin Gardner Quotes) A God whose creation is so imperfect that he must be continually adjusting it to make it work properly seems to me a God of relatively low order, hardly worthy of any worship (Martin Gardner Quotes) Speaking about symmetry, look out our window, and you may see a cardinal attacking its reflection in the window. The cardinal is the only bird we have who often does this. If it has a nest nearby, the cardinal thinks there is another cardinal trying to invade its territory. It never realizes it is attacking its own reflection. Cardinals don’t know much about mirror symmetry! (Martin Gardner Quotes) All mathematicians share... a sense of amazement over the infinite depth and the mysterious beauty and usefulness of mathematics (Martin Gardner Quotes) Biographical history, as taught in our public schools, is still largely a history of boneheads; ridiculous kings and queens, paranoid political leaders, compulsive voyagers, ignorant general the flotsam and jetsam of historical currents. The men who radically altered history, the great scientists and mathematicians, are seldom mentioned, if at all (Martin Gardner Quotes) If present trends continue, our country may soon find itself far behind many other nations in both science and technology nations where, if you inform strangers that you are a mathematician, they respond with admiration and not by telling you how much they hated math in school, and how they sure could use you to balance their checkbooks (Martin Gardner Quotes) If all sentient beings in the universe disappeared, there would remain a sense in which mathematical objects and theorems would continue to exist even though there would be no one around to write or talk about them. Huge prime numbers would continue to be prime, even if no one had proved them prime (Martin Gardner Quotes) Modern science should indeed arouse in all of us a humility before the immensity of the unexplored and a tolerance for crazy hypotheses (Martin Gardner Quotes) In many cases a dull proof can be supplemented by a geometric analogue so simple and beautiful that the truth of a theorem is almost seen at a glance (Martin Gardner Quotes) There is still a difference between something and nothing, but it is purely geometrical and there is nothing behind the geometry (Martin Gardner Quotes)