There Is No Royal Road To

This saying was recorded by the philosopher Proclus in his Commentary on the First Book of Euclid's Elements (c. AD 450), reportedly Euclid's reply to King Ptolemy I of Egypt, who asked if there was a shorter path to learning geometry than studying the Elements. The "royal road" refers to the Persian royal highway — a fast, well-maintained route suggesting privilege and ease. A nearly identical story is told of the mathematician Menaechmus replying to Alexander the Great, which has led some historians to question which version is authentic.