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Who really said it

It is a safe rule to apply that, when a mathematical or philosophical author writes with a misty profundity, he is talking nonsense

Written by Alfred North Whitehead 1861–1947 · British mathematician and philosopher
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Alfred North Whitehead wrote these words in chapter XV of An Introduction to Mathematics (1911). The primary transcription and the sourced Wikiquote entry agree on the wording.

Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

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“It is a safe rule to apply that, when a mathematical or philosophical author writes with a misty profundity, he is talking nonsense” — Alfred North Whitehead

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Provenance

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Work
An Introduction to Mathematics
Publication
1911
Location
chapter XV of An Introduction to Mathematics (1911)

It is a safe rule to apply that, when a mathematical or philosophical author writes with a misty profundity, he is talking nonsense.

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Public domain

This exact original English wording is documented in the pre-1931 work identified above. It is public domain in the United States; this assessment concerns the historical text, not a website’s additional editorial material.

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Context

Why it mattered

Chapter XV, The Differential Calculus, warns against treating obscurity as evidence of intellectual depth.

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About Alfred North Whitehead

Alfred North Whitehead

1861–1947 · British mathematician and philosopher

British mathematician and philosopher who wrote on mathematical reasoning, nature and the purposes of education.

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Cite this

The primary source (Chicago)

Alfred North Whitehead. An Introduction to Mathematics. 1911. Chapter XV, “The Differential Calculus.”

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Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘It is a safe rule to apply that, when a mathematical or philosophical author writes with a misty profundity, he is talking nonsense’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/it-is-a-safe-rule-to-apply-that-when-a-mathematical-or/

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