Jean Henri Fabre Quote

There was nothing to be said about addition and subtraction: they were so simple as to force themselves upon one at first sight. Multiplication spoilt things. There was a certain rule of signs which declared that minus multiplied by minus made plus. How I toiled over that wretched paradox!


Translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos, The Life of the Fly, Chapter XII (p. 278)


There was nothing to be said about addition and subtraction: they were so simple as to force themselves upon one at first sight. Multiplication...

There was nothing to be said about addition and subtraction: they were so simple as to force themselves upon one at first sight. Multiplication...

There was nothing to be said about addition and subtraction: they were so simple as to force themselves upon one at first sight. Multiplication...

There was nothing to be said about addition and subtraction: they were so simple as to force themselves upon one at first sight. Multiplication...