Who said “Mathematics may be compared to a mill of exquisite workmanship, which grinds your stuff…”?

Verified

Thomas H. Huxley. A published source records them saying or writing it.

Source"Geological Reform", Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, Vol. 25 (1869); as reprinted in Huxley, Discourses, Biological and Geological essays (1909), pp. 335–336

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“Mathematics may be compared to a mill of exquisite workmanship, which grinds your stuff to any degree of fineness; but, nevertheless, what you get out depends on what you put in; and as the grandest mill in the world will not extract wheat flour from peas cods, so pages of formulae will not get a definite result out of loose data.”
— Thomas H. Huxley
Verified"Geological Reform", Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, Vol. 25 (1869); as reprinted in Huxley, Discourses, Biological and Geological essays (1909), pp. 335–336 · evidenceMathematics

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: "Geological Reform", Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London, Vol. 25 (1869); as reprinted in Huxley, Discourses, Biological and Geological essays (1909), pp. 335–336.

APA

Huxley, T. H. (n.d.). Mathematics may be compared to a mill of exquisite workmanship, which grinds your stuff to any degree of fineness; but, nevertheless, what you get out depends on what you put in; and as the grandest mill in the world will not extract wheat flour from peas cods, so pages of formulae will not get a definite result out of loose data. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/28351-mathematics-may-be-compared-to-a-mill-of/

MLA

Huxley, Thomas H. “Mathematics may be compared to a mill of exquisite workmanship, which grinds your stuff to any degree of fineness; but, nevertheless, what you get out depends on what you put in; and as the grandest mill in the world will not extract wheat flour from peas cods, so pages of formulae will not get a definite result out of loose data.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/28351-mathematics-may-be-compared-to-a-mill-of/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Huxley, Thomas H. “Mathematics may be compared to a mill of exquisite workmanship, which grinds your stuff to any degree of fineness; but, nevertheless, what you get out depends on what you put in; and as the grandest mill in the world will not extract wheat flour from peas cods, so pages of formulae will not get a definite result out of loose data.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/28351-mathematics-may-be-compared-to-a-mill-of/.

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