Beauty is the first test of mathematics and ugly mathematics has no permanent place

Evidence

The mathematician’s patterns, like the painter’s or the poet’s, must be beautiful; the ideas, like the colours or the words, must fit together in a harmonious way. Beauty is the first test: there is no permanent place in the world for ugly mathematics. — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 169

Categorization

• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 169
• XREF: connects to: Chess players’ appreciation of beauty proves widespread taste for mathematics — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 172; Useful mathematics tends to be aesthetically dull — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 246; Mathematical proofs gain beauty through economy and lack of variation — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 237

Broader Connections

• Mathematical proofs gain beauty through economy and lack of variation #expands (0.65) — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 237
• Useful mathematics tends to be aesthetically dull #contradicts (0.60) — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 246