you seem to be missing this idea that mathematics must be doable alone, individually
this appears to be what sets mathematics appart from science? I mean, it's not like Euler, or Poincaré, and so on, are really there with you when "doing math"
point being, mathematics is not a team game. but everything else is??
When I'm teaching congruence or the Gauss method to solve equation systems, I tell my students: "You can solve the midterm alone or with the ghost of Gauss sit on the side chair."
I like that. "Standing on the shoulder of giants" is a fairly common way to phrase this, and it captures truth as well, but "on a team with the greatest mathematicians of history" is pretty fun too.
Pity I'm by far the weakest link in such team-ups. :)
