Aditya Rallan

“It is hard to believe that the myths told about Pythagoras did not influence the creation of some of the later stories about Christ. Pythagoras, for instance, was believed by many to be the son of God, in this case, Apollo. His mother was called Parthenis, which means “virgin.” Before traveling to Egypt, Pythagoras lived the life of a hermit on Mount Carmel, like Christ's solitary vigil on the mountain. A Jewish sect, the Essenes, appropriated this myth and is said to have later had a connection to John the Baptist. There is also a myth that Pythagoras returned from the dead, although, according to the story, Pythagoras faked this by hiding in a secret underground chamber.”
― Leonard Mlodinow, Euclid's Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace

“Pythagoras was a charismatic figure and a genius, but he was also a good self-promoter. In Egypt, he not only learned Egyptian geometry but became the first Greek to learn Egyptian hieroglyphics, and eventually became an Egyptian priest, or the equivalent, initiated into their sacred rites. This gave him access to all their mysteries, even to the secret rooms in their temples.”
― Leonard Mlodinow, Euclid's Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace

“But my best hunch (and, full disclosure, I personally love geometry) is that people enjoy it because it marries logic and intuition. It feels good to use both halves of the brain.”
― Steven H. Strogatz, The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Mathematics, from One to Infinity

“But in philosophy, he was closer to his contemporary Siddhartha Gautama Buddha (c. 560 – 480 B.C.). Both believed in reincarnation, possibly as an animal, so even an animal could be inhabited by what was once a human soul. Thus, both placed a high value on all life, opposing the common practice of animal sacrifice and preaching strict vegetarianism.”
― Leonard Mlodinow, Euclid's Window: The Story of Geometry from Parallel Lines to Hyperspace