"A mathematician, like a painter or a poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas"

Godfrey Harold Hardy's quote speaks to the idea that mathematicians, like painters and poets, are creators of patterns. He suggests that the patterns produced by mathematicians are more irreversible than those developed by painters and poets due to the fact that they are made with concepts. This suggests that the patterns produced by mathematicians are more abstract and longer long lasting than those created by painters and poets. This quote talks to the concept that mathematics is an imaginative art type, which mathematicians are artists in their own right. It also suggests that mathematics is a powerful tool for producing patterns that can stand the test of time. By comparing mathematicians to painters and poets, Hardy is emphasizing the importance of mathematics and its ability to develop patterns that are more irreversible than those produced by other art kinds.