Stan Ulam resented being labeled an intellectual. He would not even agree to being classified as a mathematician. He referred to the published volume of his scientific papers as "a slim collection of poems" Throughout his life, his style in speaking and writing remained the aphorism, the lapidary definition, the capture of a law of nature between one subject and one predicate. "Whatever is worth saying can be stated in fifty words or less," he used to admonish us, and to teach us by his example.