I really like this quote by Julia Schanen, as it embodies much of what I feel about research and teaching.
“Mathematics is my secret. My secret weakness. I feel like a stubborn, helpless fool in the middle of a problem. Trapped and crazed. Also, thrilled.” (Schanen, 2021)
References
Schanen, J. (2021). Math person (Strogatz Prize entry). National Museum of Mathematics.