In 1820, the Hungarian noble Farkas Bolyai, who had given years of his life to the problem without success, warned his son János against following the same path: You must not attempt this approach to parallels. I know this way to the very end. I have traversed this bottomless night, which extinguished all light and joy in my life. I entreat you, leave the science of parallels alone. . . . I was ready to become a martyr who would remove the flaw from geometry and return it purified to mankind. I accomplished monstrous, enormous labors; my creations are far better than those of others and yet I
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