He who seeks for methods without having a definite problem in mind seeks in the most part in vain.

David Hilbert

A mathematical theory is not to be considered complete until you have made it so clear that you can explain it to the first man whom you meet on the street.

David Hilbert

If I were to awaken after having slept for a thousand years, my first question would be: Has the Riemann hypothesis been proven?

David Hilbert

For us there is no ignorabimus, and in my opinion none at all in natural science. Rather than this foolish ignorabimus our slogan shall be: Wir müssen wissen, wir werden wissen!

David Hilbert

Physics is actually too hard for physicists.

David Hilbert

The art of doing mathematics consists in finding that special case which contains all the germs of generality.

David Hilbert

If one were to bring ten of the wisest men in the world together and ask them what was the most stupid thing in existence, they would not be able to discover anything so stupid as astrology.

David Hilbert

No one shall expel us from the paradise that Cantor has created for us.

David Hilbert

One can measure the importance of a scientific work by the number of earlier publications rendered superfluous by it.

David Hilbert

Mathematics is a game played according to certain simple rules with meaningless marks on paper.

David Hilbert

I didn’t work especially hard at mathematics at school, because I knew that’s what I’d be doing later.

David Hilbert

We must not believe those who today, with philosophical bearing and superior tone, prophesy the decline of culture and accept the ignorabimus principle.

David Hilbert