I like math not because it is valuable, but because it is fun and because it is beautiful.

I love the "Aha" feeling as a flash of insight suddenly illuminates the solution to some problems. I also love the sense of exahausted victory as a relentless mental effort provides the solutions to others. Mostly, though, I love how math is constantly full of surprise, sometimes completely defying my intuition and overturning my common sense.

Leith Hathout---in the preface to his puzzle crime book "Crimes and Mathdemeanors."