Serre Quotes & Sayings

It strikes me that mathematical writing is similar to using a language. To be understood you have to follow some grammatical rules. However, in our case, nobody has taken the trouble of writing down the grammar; we get it as a baby does from parents, by imitation of others. Some mathematicians have a good ear; some not (and some prefer the slangy expressions such as 'iff'). That's life. — Jean-Pierre Serre

Harley's been influential, but I'm not a big Harley fan. — Noah Hathaway

four stages of learning: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, and unconscious competence. — Tony Jeary

God not da faddah, he just the spoiled moody child, but you got to go t'rough him to get to da real power, his mama, Mot'er God. She da real Almighty! She run da heavens alone. Original single parent. When somethin' bad happen, usually mean she let God try his hand, and he screw up plenny. You need something important, you go directly Mot'er God. Jesus, Mary, Joseph? Dey just small potatoes, part of the chorus, neh? — Kiana Davenport

Papers should include more side remarks, open questions, and such. Very often, these are more interesting than the theorems actually proved. Alas, most people are afraid to admit that they don't know the answer to some question, and as a consequence they refrain from mentioning the question, even if it is a very natural one. What a pity! As for myself, I enjoy saying 'I do not know'. — Jean-Pierre Serre

The time and the quality of the time that their parents devote to them indicate to children the degree to which they are valued by their parents ... When children know that they are valued, when they truly feel valued in the deepest parts of themselves, then they feel valuable. This knowledge is worth more than any gold. — M. Scott Peck

Whoever is not prepared to talk about capitalism should also remain silent about fascism, — Max Horkheimer

Now anyone can move anywhere. I've made deep connections with people around the world since I tour everywhere that I will simply never see again. — Ian MacKaye

It is only the brave who win life's rewards. Those who don't overcome their fears are destined to fail at even the least things. — Kevis Hendrickson

A game like sardines is scary, not so much for the hider but for the seekers. It's scary because you lose your companions and the whole world creeps up quiet and you slowly realize you're going to stumble upon a secret place where everyone will jump out at you. And then, when you are the very last seeker, you start to wonder if you're the only person in the world. If the hiding place somehow sucked up the players and the last one has to decide to run away or get sucked up, too. — Suzanne Palmieri

The truth was ... he was in love with her. Totally over-the-line, no-going-back, not-even-dead-would-he-part kind of shit. — J.R. Ward

And because they were in some way one thing and one purpose, she smiled with him.
And they began this day with hope. — John Steinbeck

In front of us there is an immense garden of words and non-words, a serre, that is, a greenhouse in which are preserved by my care so many things of speech you have given me while leaving me free to cultivate them. — Helene Cixous

Man, Wren. I'm impressed. No woman ever sent flowers to thank me. (Serre) Don't be that impressed. I'm thinking she didn't send flowers to thank him. One flower says thank you. This many says she thought he was dead. Or that she killed him. Hmm ... I'm thinking, put a tiger in her tank and that didn't quit rev her up. What she needs is to go hunting for bear. (Dev) — Sherrilyn Kenyon

Good God, Dev. Have you completely lost your mind? Don't tease the psychotic tiger. He's getting all angry and frothing at the mouth. Someone's going to think he's rabid. (Serre)
Yeah, but teasing him is like throwing meat at Kyle. It's highly entertaining. (Dev) — Sherrilyn Kenyon

Harrogate saw them going along Blount Avenue Sunday morning. They wore outfits all cut from the same bolt of cloth and in the church pew standing six across they looked like a strip of gaudy wallpaper cut into those linked dolls madfolk pass their time in fashioning. — Cormac McCarthy

It's more important to be righteous than to be right. — Lauryn Hill

He holds my face in both hands and kisses me back. I press into the distance between us until it is gone, crushing the secrets we have kept and the suspicions we have harbored-for good, I hope. — Veronica Roth

Thank God we in Iran have neither the desire nor the need to suffer from democracy. — Mohammed Reza Pahlavi