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Now, to be put into that category of one of the best books of the century, that’s a little bit embarrassing as they rank me with Einstein and Feynman - I’m not
by andos 15y ago
Now, to be put into that category of one of the best books of the century, that’s a little bit embarrassing as they rank me with Einstein and Feynman - I’m not in that league really, I just didn’t have as much competition - they had to have a token person in computer science!
There might be a little truth here but, nonetheless, his devotion to those books made him a legend of our field. And to think people—well, I!—brag so much about so much less. His humility is disconcerting.
- wglb 15y agoI think this is simply extreme modesty. Many researchers in the field often think they have discovered something new. Digging a little further, they discover that Knuth has been there already.
- horacio 15y agoAndos, I don't feel his humility (expressed here and elsewhere) is at all disconcerting. I feel it's both endearing and appropriate. Each of us who have accomplished much less, but have boasted of much more, need only keep Knuth's example in mind as a guide for our future lives.