| I once heard an anecdote about how a certain senior mathematician X,
| on seeing a certain younger mathematician Y walk past, confided in
| colleague Z his candid opinion of Y: "So young, and yet he has already
| accomplished so little."
|
| Who are X, Y, and Z?
I *vaguely* recall a tale of the same family:
A young mathematician _X_ asked an established mathematician _Y_ for a
letter of recommendation. Apparently, _Y_ agreed, and encouraged _X_
to write the covering letter himself, since he would sign it.
"Remember... don't be modest", said _Y_, "you have accomplished too
little to be modest".
Have you ever heard of this anecdote? If so, who are X and Y? ...
--JGC