You have asked me for your opinion of X, who has applied for a position in
your organization. I cannot recommend him too highly nor say enough good
things about him. There is no other student of mine with whom I can
adequately compare him. His thesis is the sort of work you don't expect to
see nowadays and in it he has clearly demonstrated his complete capabilities.
The amount of material he knows will surprise you. You will indeed be
fortunate if you can get him to work for you.
From "A mathematician reads the newspaper" by John Allen Paulos.