A nice collection of funny or memorable quotes, either from me or other people, in roughly chronological order from when I started collecting them.

The first step toward solving a problem is complaining about it - Ethan Marshall, 2024

The important thing in the “New Math” is to understand what you’re doing, rather than to get the right answer - Tom Lehrer, 1965

You know those nature shows where a wasp paralyzes a caterpillar, then injects it full of larvae? It stays alive for weeks, completely aware, feeling every little bite as the larvae devour it from the inside. I sat in a cubicle every day envying that caterpillar, ‘cause at least he got to be on TV - Bryan Cranston (as Hal) - 2004

I’d love it if you were all interested in engineering, but I suspect most of you just want to pass the exam - Alan McRobie, 2024

It is better to smile in the rain than cry in the sun - Nate Bottomley, 2024

I bet if I shook you, I could hear the extra chromosomes rattling around - Ethan Marshall, 2024

The proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem is quite trivial, really. No, I couldn’t have done it, but still… - Kiran Desai-Kinvig, 2025

exp(iπ) = negative fun! - Phil Hartman (as Troy McClure) - 1995

Around here life is easy because of tism-flation. When most people are severely autistic, you can get away with being so only slightly and pass off as normal - Ethan Marshall, 2025

If you want out of the hole, first put down the shovel - Brad Bird (as Rick Dicker) - 2018

Control system engineers often like to work as largely as possible in the Laplace world before then converting back to the real world - although, having met a few, I’m not convinced many do live in the real world - John P Longley, 2025