If there is anything like a unifying aesthetic principle in mathematics, it is this: simple is beautiful. Mathematicians enjoy thinking about the simplest possible things, and the simplest possible things are imaginary.

Paul Lockhart
About This Quote

The world of mathematics is filled with complex formulas, elaborate theories, and elaborate proofs. But they are elegant. These formulas are beautiful, not because they are hard to understand, but because they are simple. This statement by Alfred North Whitehead sums up the basic idea that the simplest possible mathematical ideas are the most elegant.

Source: A Mathematicians Lament: How School Cheats Us Out Of Our Most Fascinating And Imaginative Art Form

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