Report on the Theory of Numbers (1859) Part I, p. 39.
“
We must confine ourselves to what we may term the great highways of the science; and... we must wholly pass by many outlying researches of great interest and importance, as we propose rather to exhibit in a clear light the most fundamental and indispensable theories, than to embarrass the treatment of a subject, already sufficiently complex, with a multitude of details, which, however important in themselves, are not essential to the comprehension of the whole.
— Henry John Stephen Smith
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "We must confine ourselves to what we may term the great highways of the science; and... we must wholly pass by many outlying researches of great interest and importance, as we propose rather to exhibit in a clear light the most fundamental and indispensable theories, than to embarrass the treatment of a subject, already sufficiently complex, with a multitude of details, which, however important in themselves, are not essential to the comprehension of the whole." in the context of "Report on the Theory of Numbers (1859) Part I, p. 39." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Henry John Stephen Smith" (Quotes, The Collected Mathematical Papers of Henry John Stephen Smith (1894) Vol. 1: ed. James Whitbread Lee Glaisher, source)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Tags
About Henry John Stephen Smith
Henry John Stephen Smith (2 November 1826 – 9 February 1883) was a mathematician remembered for his work in elementary divisors, quadratic forms, matrix theory, and number theory.
About Henry John Stephen Smith
Henry John Stephen Smith (2 November 1826 – 9 February 1883) was a mathematician remembered for his work in elementary divisors, quadratic forms, matrix theory, and number theory.
View all quotes →