We had to prove the theorems ourselves—with hints, of course—and as a result didn’t get very far, covering perhaps a fourth of what might be done in a conventional lecture. But so what? The most persistent myth of mathematics education is that what is covered is the same as what is learned. We didn’t cover much, but we sure did learn.
on learning mathematics in Steve Mitchell short biography
An additional great quote from his short biography includes the sentence: “After breakfast on the houseboat one Sunday morning, they listened attentively to my lecture on the importance of sorting dishes by topological type; clearly, this was a couple with exceptionally good taste.”