I had this rare privilege of ...

I had this rare privilege of being able to pursue in my adult life, what had been my childhood dream.
 Andrew Wiles

Quotes from the same author

Then when I reached college, I realized that many people had thought about the problem during the 18th and 19th centuries and so I studied those methods.
 Andrew Wiles
Always try the problem that matters most to you.
 Andrew Wiles
Mathematicians aren't satisfied because they know there are no solutions up to four million or four billion, they really want to know that there are no solutions up to infinity.
 Andrew Wiles