17 Quotes by Ronald Graham

Juggling is sometimes called the art of controlling patterns, controlling patterns in time and space.

Well, as you know, there are 24 hours in every day. And if that's not enough, you've always got the nights!

Math is sometimes called the science of patterns.

A lot of the high-level sports are really in your mind.

There are a lot of mathematical questions that come up when you're driving around, and you're leaving one cell site and connecting to another.

The ultimate goal of mathematics is to eliminate all need for intelligent thought.

Some people think that mathematics is a serious business that must always be cold and dry; but we think mathematics is fun, and we aren't ashamed to admit the fact. Why should a strict boundary line be drawn between work and play? Concrete mathematics is full of appealing patterns; the manipulations are not always easy, but the answers can be astonishingly attractive.

Incidentally, when we're faced with a "prove or disprove," we're usually better off trying first to disprove with a counterexample, for two reasons: A disproof is potentially easier (we need just one counterexample); and nitpicking arouses our creative juices. Even if the given assertion is true, our search for a counterexample often leads to a proof, as soon as we see why a counterexample is impossible. Besides, it's healthy to be skeptical.

It wouild be very discouraging if somewhere down the line you could ask a computer if the Riemann hypothesis is correct and it said, 'Yes, it is true, but you won't be able to understand the proof.' John Horgan.