> Of course I wasn't the first to think of it but that didn't matter, the joy is the same. Thank you for emphasising this key point! There's pleasure and ther

> Of course I wasn't the first to think of it but that didn't matter, the joy is the same. Thank you for emphasising this key point! There's pleasure and there can be prestige in being the first to solve a mathematical problem, but there's joy and accomplishment just in solving the problem yourself, even if your approach is exactly the classical one. I am a rock climber as well as a mathematician, and I compare it to that: the first person to summit a route will get the big-name recognition, but it's still worth it for me to come along and summit myself later, even if I use exactly the same sequence as tens of people who have gone before me.