I forget who of the great men said it but it's stuck in my head that compared to the ellipse ("the general") the circle ("the particular") looks like an idiot's

I forget who of the great men said it but it's stuck in my head that compared to the ellipse ("the general") the circle ("the particular") looks like an idiot's smile. (I guess that's one way of looking at the comparative value of various objects of modern mathematical research.)