Whenever you employ your ego to identify yourself as the doer of an action, that action becomes a karma for you.

We each possess a single infallible guide, the Universal Spirit that lives in men as a whole, and in each one of us, which makes us aspire to what we should aspire: It is the Spirit that commands the tree to grow toward the sun, the flower to throw off its seed in Autumn, us to reach out towards God, and by so doing, become united to each other. - Leo Tolstoy

Abhyankar was convinced that mathematics is a panacea. He used to tell how, as a young child he was weak and suffered from many ailments. This continued until he discovered mathematics. Once he started reading mathematics, he did not get sick again.Even when sick, he could push aside the pain and get well by immersing in mathematics.Perhaps, his sudden death while sitting at his desk, working on mathematics, is a testimonial to his theory of mathematics over matter. Till the end, he always considered his mathematics as applied yoga! ~ Abhyankar's students.

There have been and still are geometricians and philosophers, and even some of the most distinguished, who doubt whether the whole universe, or to speak more widely the whole of existence, was only created in Euclid's geometry; they even dare to dream that two parallel lines, which according to Euclid can never meet on earth, may meet somewhere in infinity. I have come to the conclusion that, since I can't understand even that, I can't expect to understand about God. I acknowledge humbly that I have no faculty for settling such questions, I have a Euclidean earthly mind, and how could I solve problems that are not of this world? And I advise you never to think about it either, my dear, especially about God, whether He exists or not. All such questions are utterly inappropriate for a mind created with an idea of only three dimensions. ~ The Brothers Karamzov

As long as algebra is taught in school, there will be prayer in school.

The product of mathematics is clarity and understanding. The real satisfaction from mathematics is in learning from others and sharing with others. The question of who is the first person to ever set foot on some square meter of land is really secondary. ~ Bill Thurston on “What can one contribute to mathematics?”

Mathematics is a process of staring hard enough with enough perseverance at the fog of muddle and confusion to eventually break through to improved clarity. I’m happy when I can admit, at least to myself, that my thinking is muddled, and I try to overcome the embarrassment that I might reveal ignorance or confusion. ~ Bill Thurston

I have often pondered over the roles of knowledge or experience, on the one hand, and imagination or intuition, on the other, in the process of discovery. I believe that there is a certain fundamental conflict between the two, and knowledge, by advocating caution, tends to inhibit the flight of imagination. Therefore, a certain naivete, unburdened by conventional wisdom, can sometimes be a positive asset. ~Harish Chandra (Mathematician)