Josef Ehrenfried Hofman, "On the Discovery of the Logarithmic Series and Its Development in England up to Cotes" (Oct., 1939) National Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 37-38.
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To the reader of today much in the conception and mode of expression of that time appears strange and unusual. Between us and the mathematicians of the late seventeenth century stands Leonhard Euler... He is the real founder of our modern conception. However non-rigorous he may be in details: he ends and conquers the previous epoch of direct geometric infinitesimal considerations and introduces the period of mathematical analysis according to form and content. Whatever was written after him on the logarithmic series is necessarily based no longer on the already obscured predecessors in the receding mathematical Renaissance, but on Euler's Introductio in analysin infinitorum... in which the entire seventh chapter [De Quantitabus exponentialibus ac Logarithmis] treats of logarithms.

— Josef Ehrenfried Hofman

What It Means

This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "To the reader of today much in the conception and mode of expression of that time appears strange and unusual. Between us and the mathematicians of the late seventeenth century stands Leonhard Euler... He is the real founder of our modern conception. However non-rigorous he may be in details: he ends and conquers the previous epoch of direct geometric infinitesimal considerations and introduces the period of mathematical analysis according to form and content. Whatever was written after him on the logarithmic series is necessarily based no longer on the already obscured predecessors in the receding mathematical Renaissance, but on Euler's Introductio in analysin infinitorum... in which the entire seventh chapter [De Quantitabus exponentialibus ac Logarithmis] treats of logarithms." in the context of "Josef Ehrenfried Hofman, "On the Discovery of the Logarithmic Series and Its Development in England up to Cotes" (Oct., 1939) National Mathematics Magazine, Vol. 14, No. 1, pp. 37-38." to mean that wisdom is timeless.

Source: Wikiquote: "Leonhard Euler" (Quotes about Euler: Alphabetized by author ) The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
Leonhard Euler

About Leonhard Euler

Leonhard Euler (15 April 1707 – 18 September 1783) was a Swiss mathematician, physicist, astronomer, geographer, logician, and engineer who founded the studies of graph theory and topology and made pioneering and influential discoveries in many other branches of mathematics such as analytic number theory, complex analysis, and infinitesimal calculus. He introduced much of modern mathematical terminology and notation, including the notion of a mathematical function. He is also known for his work in mechanics, fluid dynamics, optics, astronomy, and music theory. He is considered to be one of the greatest mathematicians of all time.