... looking back, ... I have not hurt people personally, but ... I could be mean, for instance, I could be harsh. And now I see it as sign of weaknes… - Edward Frenkel

I was proud of my work with Yakov Isaevich, and he of me. Despite our good relationship, however, I kept my “other” mathematical life – my work with Fuchs and Feigin and all of that – secret from him as I did from most other people. It was as though applied mathematics was my spouse, and pure mathematics was my secret lover.

People tend to think that mathematicians always work in sterile conditions, sitting around and staring at the screen of a computer, or at a ceiling, in a pristine office. But in fact, some of the best ideas come when you least expect them, possibly through annoying industrial noise.

We should all have access to the mathematical knowledge and tools needed to protect us from arbitrary decisions made by the powerful few in an increasingly math-driven world. Where there is no mathematics, there is no freedom.