"Mathematics should be learned through recreational games, the way the Egyptians do, through amusement and pleasure." (Plato, "Laws" VII, cca 360 BC) [attributed to John A Comenius]
"Science is the labor and handicraft of the mind; poetry can only be considered its recreation." (Francis Bacon, "The Proficience and Advancement of Learning, Divine and Human", 1605)
"But leaving those of the Body, shall proceed to such Recreations as adorn the Mind; of which those of the Mathematicks are inferior to none." (William Leybourn," Pleasure with Profit", 1694)
"And as the ideal in the whole of Nature moves in an infinite process toward an Absolute Perfection, we may say that art is in strict truth the apotheosis of Nature. Art is thus at once the exaltation of the natural toward its destined supernatural perfection, and the investiture of the Absolute Beauty with the reality of natural existence. Its work is consequently not a means to some higher end, but is itself a final aim; or, as we may otherwise say, art is its own end. It is not a mere recreation for man, a piece of by-play in human life, but is an essential mode of spiritual activity, the lack of which would be a falling short of the destination of man. It is itself part and parcel of man's eternal vocation." (George H Howison, "The Limits of Evolution, and Other Essays, Illustrating the Metaphysical Theory of Personal Idealism", 1901)
"Chess combines the beauty of mathematical structure with the recreational delights of a competitive game." (Martin Gardner, "Mathematics, Magic, and Mystery", 1956)
"Recreational mathematics is a splendid hobby which young and old can equally enjoy. The popularity of Sudoku shows that an aptitude for recreational mathematics is widespread in the population. From Sudoku it is easy to ascend to mathematical pursuits that offer more scope for imagination and originality." (Freeman Dyson, 2011)
"Discrete Mathematics is a branch of mathematics dealing with finite or countable processes and elements. Graph Theory is an area in Discrete Mathematics which studies configurations involving a set of vertices interconnected by edges (called graphs). From humble beginnings and almost recreational type problems, Graph Theory has found its calling in the modern world of complex systems and especially of the computer. Graph Theory and its applications can be found not only in other branches of mathematics, but also in scientific disciplines such as engineering, computer science, operational research, management sciences and the life sciences." (Khee Meng Koh et al, " Graph theory: Undergraduate mathematics", 2015)
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