We have been taught that the shortcut is not recommended, that it is a tricky resource, the lazy trick. However, for Marcus du Sautoy it is a legitimate tactic: in mathematics, the realm of strategic thinking that emulates the logic of nature, the shortcut provides us with the solution of a problem in the shortest time and with the least expenditure of energy possible. It is no coincidence that we owe a large part of what we call progress to the "lazy people" who solved the great challenges of existence: from the construction techniques of the first cities to the infinitesimal calculus applied to Renaissance engineering, passing through the computer algorithms that Today they make our lives easier. This entertaining and illuminating book teaches us that the ability to come up with innovative approaches sets us apart from the most efficient of computers and that the art of the shortcut is essential to creatively solve the challenges of everyday life.