Quand la concurrence — c'est-à-dire l'égoïsme — ne règnera plus dans les sciences, quand on s'associera pour étudier, au lieu d'envoyer aux académies des paquets cachetés, on s'empressera de publier ses moindres observations pour peu qu'elles soient nouvelles, et on ajoutera: «je ne sais pas le reste».

De Ste Pélagie, Xbre 1831.

Évariste Galois.

Translation by Robert Langlands :

When the reign of competitivity, thus of vanity, in the sciences ends, when one cooperates for studying, rather than sending sealed packets to academies, one will be eager to publish the simplest observation, provided they are new, and one will add “I don’t know the rest”.

Translation by Peter Neumann :

When competition, that is to say egoism reigns no more in science, when one gets together to study, instead of sending to the academies closed packets, one will hasten to publish one’s least observations for their little novelty, and one will add: “I do not know the rest”. ​