Failure is interesting — it’s part of making progress. You never learn from success, but you do learn from failure.

The essence of mathematics lies in its power to reveal patterns and symmetries.

A writer's life is a highly vulnerable, almost naked activity. We don't have to weep about that. The writer makes his choice and is stuck with it. But it is true to say that you are open to all the winds, some of them icy indeed. You are out on your own, out on a limb. You find no shelter, no protection — unless you lie — in which case of course you have constructed your own protection and, it could be argued, become a politician.

故事是作者写给自己的一封信，用来告诉自己那些他无法以其他方式发现的事情。