66 Quotes by David Hilbert

Wir dürfen nicht denen glauben, die heute mit philosophischer Miene und über-legenem Tone den Kulturuntergang prophezeien und sich in dem Ignorabimus gefallen. Füruns gibt es kein Ignorabimus, und meiner Meinung nach auch für die Naturwissenschaftüberhaupt nicht. Statt des törichten Ignorabimus heisse im Gegenteil unsere Lösung: Wir müssen wissen. Wir werden wissen.

Mathematics knows no races or geographical boundaries; for mathematics, the cultural world is one country.

No one shall expel us from the paradise which Cantor has created for us.{Expressing the importance of Georg Cantor's set theory in the development of mathematics.}

Good, he did not have enough imagination to become a mathematician.[Upon hearing that one of his students had dropped out to study poetry]

Wir mussen wissen. Wir werden wissen. (We must know. We will know.)[Inscribed on his tomb in Gottingen.]

Mathematics is a game played according to certain simple rules with meaningless marks on paper.

A mathematical theory is not to be considered complete until you have made it so clear that you can explain it to the first man whom you meet on the street.

Physics is becoming too difficult for the physicists.

If I were to awaken after having slept for a thousand years, my first question would be: Has the Riemann hypothesis been proven?