Mathematics is enigmatic, and yet it is necessary for the operation of many common objects in our lives, like computers and television sets. We say, "It's not rocket science" to mean that something is not difficult, the assumption being that rocket science requires a lot of mathematical reasoning, which by definition means it must be hard. We don't say, "It's not sonnet writing," even though most people would have at least as hard a time writing a decent sonnet as sending a space shuttle into the sky.
- Fra Sexual selections: What we can and can't learn about sex from animals av Marlene Zuk