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The quotation in the title is attributed to Frank Adams and appears in several places:

However, I have trouble finding any earlier appearances of the quote. I found something in that spirit in [Adams, 1978, Infinite loop spaces, §2.3]:

Unfortunately, as I have hinted in §2.1, the construction and use of machines takes work. Therefore this chapter will be written as an essay in machine appreciation; it is not intended to qualify the reader for a mechanic's certificate.

Question. Does the quotation in the title appear in the writings of Frank Adams? Or was it a spoken remark that has been transmitted through folklore?

(I apologise for the non-mathematical question, but I thought MathOverflow would be the most likely place to find the answer.)

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    $\begingroup$ I think it would also be interesting to hear opinions on this quote. $\endgroup$
    – Edoardo Lanari
    Commented Jun 28, 2015 at 21:18
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    $\begingroup$ Is it too late to suggest a new "ask-may" tag? $\endgroup$
    – Vidit Nanda
    Commented Jun 28, 2015 at 22:23
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    $\begingroup$ Vidit, that isn't a capital M meant is it? I'm sure I heard Frank say that quote in a talk, but I can't remember when or where. I also couldn't find it in his "Infinite loop spaces", but that sure is still enjoyable reading. Let me just recommend it. $\endgroup$
    – Peter May
    Commented Jun 28, 2015 at 22:28
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    $\begingroup$ Is that the book with an item "jokes" in the index? $\endgroup$
    – Tom Goodwillie
    Commented Jun 28, 2015 at 23:39
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    $\begingroup$ Tom, yes it is, and Vidit is referring to the Math Review of Frank's book. $\endgroup$
    – Peter May
    Commented Jun 28, 2015 at 23:44

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