Hardy finds his only justification in having created something of intrinsic worth

Evidence

Judged by all practical standards, the value of my mathematical life is nil; and outside mathematics it is trivial anyhow. I have just one chance of escaping a verdict of complete triviality, that I may be judged to have created something worth creating. — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 293

Categorization

• XREF: Shows the structure of the apology: practical uselessness compels Hardy to rest his case on aesthetic creation alone.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — G. H. Hardy, A Mathematician’s Apology, 293