23 Terence Tao Quotes for You to Enjoy

Terence Tao

Australian Mathematician

Born: Jul 17, 1975

Good Important Mathematics Me Work You

Related authors: Ada Lovelace Alfred North Whitehead Archimedes Charles Babbage Isaac Newton Katherine Johnson Pythagoras Rene Descartes

Talent is important, but how one develops and nurtures it is even more so. Terence Tao

Important More Develops Talent How Even

When you're concentrating hard, hours can fly by, and it's just you and a math problem. Terence Tao

You Problem Fly Concentrating Hours Math Just Hard

Math education has changed over the years. In the 19th century, they taught spherical trigonometry because one of the biggest applications of mathematics was navigating the ocean. This is no longer so relevant. Terence Tao

Education Mathematics Ocean Changed Relevant Longer Over Because Math Years Taught Biggest Century Applications

I have been lucky to find very good collaborators who have taught me a lot, have introduced me to several new fields of mathematics, or have shown me new insights. Terence Tao

Mathematics Good Me Several Collaborators Introduced Find Insights New Been Lot Very Taught Fields Who Lucky Shown

The standard high school curriculum traditionally has been focused towards physics and engineering. So calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra have always been the most emphasized, and for good reason - these are very important. Terence Tao

Good Physics School Important Engineering Algebra Focused Has-Been High High School Good Reason Emphasized Towards Most Calculus Equations Always Been Linear Very Curriculum Standard Reason Differential

Math research is more like a marathon. Terence Tao

Research More Like Math Marathon

Most of what I do does not save lives. Terence Tao

Most Does Lives Save

I was never very good at school with... humanities... anything which was more a matter of opinion. Terence Tao

Good School Matter Humanities More Never Opinion Very Anything Which

You want to get to the top of the cliff. But that's not what you focus on immediately. You focus on the next ledge just beyond your reach, because you need to do one clever thing to get up there. And then, once you get there, you do it again. A lot of this is rather boring and not very glamorous. But you can't jump cliffs in a single bound. Terence Tao

You Focus Clever Single Once Top Immediately Boring Rather Glamorous Bound Reach Beyond Because Cliff Cliffs Lot Up Jump Very Get Just Want Again Then Next Your There And Then Thing Need

I often don't know what I'll be working on next year or a year from now. There is often a chance meeting, or something that I worked on 10 years ago suddenly becomes important again. Terence Tao

Important Year Meeting Something Know Becomes Years Years Ago Often Again Worked Next Working Next Year Suddenly Now Chance

The accuracy of Wikipedia can be dodgy in some places, but in maths, it's really quite good. Terence Tao

Good Wikipedia Some Maths Accuracy Quite Places Really

I still remember the realization in college at Flinders University in Australia that mathematics was not just an abstract game of symbols but could be used as a tool to analyze and understand the modern world. Terence Tao

Mathematics Game World Remember College Tool Analyze Could Abstract Understand Still Australia Modern Just Modern World Realization Used Symbols University

I tend to change research direction every few years or so. Terence Tao

Change Few Research Every Direction Tend Years

Research sometimes feels like an ongoing TV series in which some amazing revelations have already been made, but there are still plenty of cliff-hangers and unresolved plotlines that you want to see resolved. But unlike TV, we have to do the work ourselves to figure out what happens next. Terence Tao

Work You Sometimes Amazing Made Research Resolved Unlike Plenty Ourselves Out TV TV Series See Some Ongoing Unresolved Feels Like Revelations Still Been Want Happens Which Next Figure Series

Most students who take math classes aren't going to be mathematicians. They're going to be engineers, statisticians - in many ways, that's the more important mission of math education. Terence Tao

Education Important Ways Classes More Take Students Mission Most Math Mathematicians Going Engineers Who Many

I don't have any magical ability. I look at a problem, play with it, work out a strategy. Terence Tao

Work Problem Strategy Out Ability Magical Look Any Work Out Play

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