Some mathematicians—and journalists—are birds, others are frogs

Some mathematicians are birds, others are frogs.

Birds fly high in the air and survey broad vistas of mathematics out to the far horizon. They delight in concepts that unify our thinking and bring together diverse problems from different parts of the landscape.

Frogs live in the mud below and see only the flowers that grow nearby. They delight in the details of particular objects, and they solve problems one at a time.

I happen to be a frog, but many of my best friends are birds.