> that the math done for its own sake is just not as beautiful to me as math that has applications. I think the reverse. In general, the math done for its own

> that the math done for its own sake is just not as beautiful to me as math that has applications. I think the reverse. In general, the math done for its own sake will be more beautiful. Think of it this way: mathematicians doing math to get some place will accept to take a long path that’s ugly and/or extremely dull, as long as it gets them there; mathematicians doing math for math’s sake will prefer to walk nicer paths. But of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder; those who define ‘beautiful’ as ‘has direct application’ will disagree.