Grigory Perelman, mathematician that recently offered a solution to Poincaré’s conjecture has an impressive list of prizes that he did not accept: the Fields Medal, the $1 million Millennium Prize, the prizes from the International Congress of Mathematicians in Madrid, a prize from the European Mathematical Society.
| “Perelman has said: “If everyone is honest, it is natural to share ideas.” “[…]Of course, there are many mathematicians who are more or less honest. But almost all of them are conformists. They are more or less honest, but they tolerate those who are not honest.” He has also said that “It is not people who break ethical standards who are regarded as aliens. It is people like me who are isolated.” source: The New Yorker – MANIFOLD DESTINY |
| “ “If anybody is interested in my way of solving the problem, it’s all there — let them go and read about it,” he told The Telegraph. “I have published all my calculations. This is what I can offer the public.” source: New York Times – The Math Was Complex, the Intentions, Strikingly Simple |
[Edited from Photomedia Forum post by T.Neugebauer from Nov 12, 2006]