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)

Jean Henri Fabre Quotes

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...