"There is something to complete in this demonstration. I do not have the time." Quoted from writings the night before his fateful duel.

"Since the beginning of the century, computational procedures have become so complicated that any progress by those means has become impossible, without the elegance which modern mathematicians have brought to bear on their research, and by means of which the spirit comprehends quickly and in one step a great many computations. It is clear that elegance, so vaunted and so aptly named, can have no other purpose. ... Go to the roots, of these calculations! Group the operations. Classify them according to their complexities rather than their appearances! This, I believe, is the mission of future mathematicians. This is the road on which I am embarking in this work. From the preface to his final manuscript."

Biographical Info

Galois biography:

http://www.gap-system.org/~history/Biographies/Galois.html

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