Throughout history, the concept of negative numbers has baffled, confused, and even outraged many thinkers. Their journey into mainstream mathematics is marked by scepticism and incredulity, as captured by various historical quotes. Here, we explore some of these fascinating perspectives. “Above all, he [the student] must reject the definition still sometimes given of the quantity -a, that it is less than nothing. It is astonishing that the human intellect should ever have tolerated such an absurdity as the idea of a quantity less than nothing; above all, that the notion should have outlived the belief in judicial astrology and the existence of witches, either of which is ten thousand times more possible.” In his book On the Study and Difficulties of Mathematics, De Morgan expresses astonishment at the acceptance of negative numbers. Comparing the belief in negative quantities to the belief in astrology and witches, he underscores the perceived absurdity of the concept. “Numbers that are less than nothing? Inconceivable! The next thing you’ll tell me is that there’s a witch outside with my horoscope.” …