Oswald Veblen Quote

At the same time it will not be forgotten that the physical reality of geometry can not be put in evidence with full clarity unless there is an abstract theory also... Thus, for example, while the term electron may have more than one physical meaning, it is by no means such a protean object as a point or a triangle.

Geometry and Physics, Science, Volume 57, Number 1466, February 2, 1923 (p. 131)