Martin Gardner quotes

Martin Gardner was an American popular mathematics and science writer, as well as a renowned skeptic and puzzle creator. His columns in Scientific American sparked widespread interest in recreational mathematics and critical thinking. He inspired generations to explore the wonders of mathematics, logic, and magic through his engaging writing. Here are 27 of his quotes:

There is still a difference between something and nothing, but it is purely geometrical and there is nothing behind the geometry. (Martin Gardner)
Although Lewis Carroll thought of The Hunting of the Snark as a nonsense ballad for children, it is hard to imagine-in fact one shudders to imagine-a child of today reading and enjoying it. View quote
Martin Gardner
In many cases a dull proof can be supplemented by a geometric analogue so simple and beautiful that the truth of a theorem is almost seen at a glance. View quote
Martin Gardner
The greatest scandal of the century in American psychiatry ... is the growing mania among thousands of inept therapists, family counselors, and social workers for arousing false memories of childhoood sexual abuse. View quote
Martin Gardner
As I have often said, electrons and gerbils don't cheat. People do. View quote
Martin Gardner
A surprising proportion of mathematicians are accomplished musicians. Is it because music and mathematics share patterns that are beautiful? View quote
Martin Gardner
Mathematical magic combines the beauty of mathematical structure with the entertainment value of a trick. View quote
Martin Gardner
If God creates a world of particles and waves, dancing in obedience to mathematical and physical laws, who are we to say that he cannot make use of those laws to cover the surface of a small planet with living creatures? View quote
Martin Gardner
A god whose creation is so imperfect that he must be continually adjusting it to make it work properly seems to me a god of relatively low order, hardly worthy of any worship. View quote
Martin Gardner
The last level of metaphor in the Alice books is this: that life, viewed rationally and without illusion, appears to be a nonsense tale told by an idiot mathematician. View quote
Martin Gardner
I can say this. I believe that the human mind, or even the mind of a cat, is more interesting in its complexity than an entire galaxy if it is devoid of life. (Martin Gardner)
Ever since I was a boy, I've been fascinated by crazy science and such things as perpetual motion machines and logical paradoxes. View quote
Martin Gardner
Debunking bad science should be constant obligation of the science community, even if it takes time away from serious research or seems to be a losing battle. View quote
Martin Gardner
The men who radically altered history, the great scientists and mathematicians, are seldom mentioned, if at all. View quote
Martin Gardner
There are, and always have been, destructive pseudo-scientific notions linked to race and religion; these are the most widespread and damaging. View quote
Martin Gardner
For a moment the waves and particles dance in grotesque, inconceivably complex patterns capable of reflecting on their own absurdity. View quote
Martin Gardner
I've never made a discovery myself, unless by accident. View quote
Martin Gardner
The failure of any prediction can always be blamed on quirky political decisions or unforeseen historical events. View quote
Martin Gardner
The last level of metaphor in the Alice books is this: that life, viewed rationally and without illusion, appears to be a nonsense tale told by an idiot mathematician. At the heart of things science finds only a mad, never-ending quadrille of Mock Turtle Waves and Gryphon Particles. For a moment the waves and particles dance in grotesque, inconceivably complex patterns capable of reflecting on their own absurdity. View quote
Martin Gardner
There are, and always have been, destructive pseudo-scientific notions linked to race and religion; these are the most widespread and damaging. Hopefully, educated people can succeed in shedding light into these areas of prejudice and ignorance, for as Voltaire once said: "Men will commit atrocities as long as they believe absurdities." View quote
Martin Gardner
Debunking bad science should be constant obligation of the science community, even if it takes time away from serious research or seems to be a losing battle. One takes comfort from the fact there is no Gresham's laws in science. In the long run, good science drives out bad. (Martin Gardner)
Let the Bible be the Bible! It's not about science. It's not accurate history. It is a grab bag of religious fantasies written by many authors. Some of its myths, like the Star of Bethlehem, are very beautiful. Others are dull and ugly. Some express lofty ideals, such as the parables of Jesus. Others are morally disgusting. View quote
Martin Gardner
Biographical history, as taught in our public schools, is still largely a history of boneheads; ridiculous kings and queens, paranoid political leaders, compulsive voyagers, ignorant general the flotsam and jetsam of historical currents. The men who radically altered history, the great scientists and mathematicians, are seldom mentioned, if at all. View quote
Martin Gardner
Bad science contributes to the steady dumbing down of our nation. Crude beliefs get transmitted to political leaders and the result is considerable damage to society. We see this happening now in the rapid rise of the religious right and how it has taken over large segments of the Republican Party. View quote
Martin Gardner
Public infatuation with alternative medicines of all varieties shows no sign of abating. Acupuncture, homeopathy, aromatherapy, herbal remedies, chelation, iridology, therapeutic touch, magnet therapy, psychic healing, and so on are gaining new converts every day. The tragedies occur, of course, when gullible sufferers rely solely on such remedies and avoid seeking mainstream help. It would be good if we had some statistical evidence about the frequency of deaths following reliance on pseudomedicines. View quote
Martin Gardner