Mathematics is the queen of the sciences, and number theory is the queen of mathematics. — Gauss
The scientific level of a country can be measured by the amount of mathematics it consumes. — Rao
Number theory is one of the oldest branches of human knowledge, yet its most profound secrets are closely linked to its most trivial truths. — Smith
Read Euler, read Euler; he is our teacher. — Laplace
Sometimes, at first, we do not find the simplest and most beautiful proof, but it is precisely such proofs that allow us to delve into the wonderful connections of higher arithmetic truths. This is the driving force behind our continued research and what most enables us to make discoveries. — Gauss
A science can only reach a state of true perfection when it successfully applies mathematics. — Marx
I have resolved to abandon that geometry which is merely abstract. That is to say, I will no longer think about problems that serve only to exercise the mind. I do this in order to study another kind of geometry, one whose purpose is to explain natural phenomena... — Descartes
A mathematician who does not have a touch of poetry can never become a complete mathematician... — Weierstrass