If teaching is reduced to mere data transmission, if there is no sharing or excitement and wonder, if teachers themselves are passive recipients of information and not creators of new ideas, what hope is there for their students?

~ Paul Lockhart

Paul Lockhart Creativity Student Teach Teaching

Mathematicians enjoy thinking about the simplest possible things, and the simplestpossible things are imaginary.

~ Paul Lockhart

Paul Lockhart Imagination Math

I don't see how it's doing society any good to have it's members walking around with vague memories of algebraic formulas and geometric diagrams, and clear memories of hating them.

~ Paul Lockhart

Paul Lockhart Humor Math Teaching

And I'll go even further and say that mathematics, this art of abstract pattern-making — even more than storytelling, painting, or music - is our most quintessentially human art form. This is what our brains do, whether we like it or not. We are biochemical pattern-recognition machines and mathematics is nothing less than the distilled essence of who we are.

~ Paul Lockhart

Paul Lockhart Mathematics