I just came across the story of Grigori Perelman, and I have to admit, this figure is truly fascinating. This Russian mathematician did something that seemed impossible — he solved the Poincaré conjecture, which no one had been able to solve for nearly a hundred years.

For this achievement, Perelman received the Fields Medal in 2006 and the Clay Institute Mathematics Prize in 2010. But here’s where it gets really interesting — he declined both awards. Both. It’s something that almost never happens in the world of science.

To understand what he actually proved, you need to know that the Poincaré conjecture concerns three-dimensional spaces. If such a space is closed and has no holes, it is essentially equivalent to a regular sphere — just in three dimensions. Sounds abstract? Yes, because it’s abstract mathematics, but it has enormous significance for topology and our understanding of space.

What surprises me most about Grigori Perelman’s story is his approach to the whole matter. He didn’t hold any spectacular press conferences or interviews. He simply published his work on arXiv in 2002-2003 — an open server for mathematicians — and allowed the scientific community to verify his proof. It took several years because the proof was extremely complex, but ultimately everyone confirmed that he was right.

But that’s not all. Perelman completely withdrew from academic life around 2005-2006. He stopped publishing, doesn’t participate in conferences, doesn’t work at universities. Today, he lives a very secluded life in Saint Petersburg, almost never appearing publicly. He was seen in a regular grocery store, buying cheap products and paying in cash.

He lives with his mother in a normal apartment, is not married, has no children. His lifestyle can be described in one word — modest. When asked about his resignation from awards and withdrawal from science, he roughly replied: “What do I need awards and money for, when I know how to rule the world?” He also criticized the way the mathematical community is organized.

Grigori Perelman’s story is a lesson to me that true genius doesn’t need fame or money. He only needs intellectual purity and the ability to do what he’s passionate about. That’s rare in today’s times.