Some mathematical quotes I found in a thread on Math Overflow.
(http://mathoverflow.net/questions/7155/famous-mathematical-quotes, http://www.math.lsa.umich.edu/~jrs/plans.html)

We often hear that mathematics consists mainly of “proving theorems.” Is a writer’s job mainly that of “writing sentences?”
– Gian-Carlo Rota

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.
– Henri Poincaré, in response to “Poetry is the art of giving different names to the same thing.”

If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is.”
– John von Neumann (from a 1947 ACM keynote)

The goal of this thesis is to furnish its author with the title of Doctor.
– Beginning of A. Douady’s thesis

Oh, he seems like an okay person, except for being a little strange in some ways. All day he sits at his desk and scribbles, scribbles, scribbles. Then, at the end of the day, he takes the sheets of paper he’s scribbled on, scrunches them all up, and throws them in the trash can.
– John von Neumann’s housekeeper, describing her employer.