What affected me most profoundly was the realization that the sciences of cryptography and mathematics are very elegant, pure sciences. I found that the ends for which these pure sciences are used are less elegant.

Summary

This quote highlights the discrepancy between the elegance of cryptographic and mathematical sciences and the purposes or applications they can be used for. The speaker expresses how they were struck by the refined and sophisticated nature of these fields. However, they also acknowledge that the motives or intentions behind the application of these sciences may not always share the same level of elegance. In other words, while cryptography and mathematics themselves are inherently elegant and beautiful, their utilization may not always align with these qualities.

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