Andrew Wiles's childhood dream was to solve Fermat's Last Theorem. Such aspirations are often deprecated as "unrealistic" or "impractical". It is to Wiles's credit, and the credit of his graduate advisors, that he fully mastered the background material and established a conventional career reputation for competence. Even more noteworthy was his accomplishment of this life-long goal at mid-career, when mathematicians, according to such lunimaries as G.H. Hardy, are supposed to be past their prime. | 
