Quote from mathematician-poet

Question

I read once a quote by a mathematician (or scientist) who was also a poet and it was something similar to:

As a mathematician I try to make complicated things obvious, as a poet I try to make obvious things complicated,

but I can't find it online or remember who said it. Does anyone know? Or if you know a similar quote I would really appreciate your help. Thank you

It rings a bell,but I can't place it. But if you like poet-mathematicians, check out Piet Hein. — PM 2Ring, Aug 15 '17 at 09:57
I'm not sure that "make obvious things complicated" is a good description of what a poet does. Perhaps "make obvious things strange" would be better. — John Coleman, Aug 16 '17 at 01:13
Am I the only one who feels like mathematicians have a habit of making simple concepts insanely complicated? (not saying they don't have their reasons for it, but that's beside my point) — user541686, Aug 16 '17 at 09:33

score 30 · Answer 1 · answered Aug 15 '17 at 10:50

30

Also, a similar quote is attributed to Paul Dirac (criticising Oppenheimer's interest in poetry):

"The aim of science is to make difficult things understandable in a simpler way; the aim of poetry is to state simple things in an incomprehensible way. The two are incompatible."

answered Aug 15 '17 at 10:50

Jack R.

485

3

citation needed? – LarsH Aug 16 '17 at 02:08
4

@LarsH, see page 258 of Dirac's biography – sch Aug 16 '17 at 10:14
@sch But what is the biography's source? – Nathaniel M. Beaver Sep 08 '19 at 12:56

Nathaniel M. Beaver · Answer 2 · 2021-08-03T04:44:40.217

You are probably thinking of J. Robert Oppenheimer quoting Paul Dirac in the first paragraph of an article entitled "The Age of Science 1900-1950", published in the September 1950 issue:

One evening more than 20 years ago Dirac, who was in Göttingen working on his quantum theory of radiation, took me to task with characteristic gentleness. "I understand," he said, "that you are writing poetry as well as working at physics. I do not see how you can do both. In science one tries to say some thing that no one knew before in a way that everyone can understand. Whereas in poetry ..."

The 10 reports here, to which these words may serve as introduction, do indeed attest that science says things that no one knew before in a way we can all understand.

Oppenheimer had published poems in the Harvard student literary magazine Hound & Horn, including one from 1928 called "Crossing" inspired by his time in the desert of New Mexico.

note also Hilbert on math vs poetry: Good, he did not have enough imagination to become a mathematician.Upon hearing that one of his students had dropped out to study poetry, as quoted in [http://books.google.com/?id=nnpChqstvg0C&pg=PA151 The Universal Book of Mathematics (2004) by David J. Darling, p. 151 — Gnudiff, Aug 15 '17 at 22:01

score 14 · Answer 3 · answered Aug 15 '17 at 10:36

14

A similar quote is usually attributed to the mathematician Stan Gudder (U. of Denver):

"The essence of mathematics is not to make simple things complicated, but to make complicated things simple."

answered Aug 15 '17 at 10:36

mlc

5,478

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Dec 06 '17 at 18:28

2

Also a quote is attributed to Sofia Kovalevskaya:

It is impossible to be a mathematician without being a poet in soul.” — Sofia Kovalevskaya

Also this article Mathematicians and Poets is very intersting.

answered Dec 06 '17 at 18:28

Davood

4,223

Quote from mathematician-poet

4 Answers4