“Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.”

Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. But remove the satisfaction, and the act becomes hollow.

We are not interested in the fact that the brain has the consistency of cold porridge.

These disturbing phenomena [Extra Sensory Perception] seem to deny all our scientific ideas. How we should like to discredit them! Unfortunately the statistical evidence, at least for telepathy, is overwhelming.

One day ladies will take their computers for walks in the park and tell each other, “My little computer said such a funny thing this morning”.

A very large part of space-time must be investigated, if reliable results are to be obtained.

We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.

A man provided with paper, pencil, and rubber, and subject to strict discipline, is in effect a universal machine.

The original question, ‘Can machines think?’ I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion.

No, I’m not interested in developing a powerful brain.

We may hope that machines will eventually compete with men in all purely intellectual fields.

Codes are a puzzle. A game, just like any other game.

No, I’m not interested in developing a powerful brain. All I’m after is just a mediocre brain, something like the President of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.

Programming is a skill best acquired by practice and example rather than from books.

Unless in communicating with it one says exactly what one means, trouble is bound to result.

Mathematical reasoning may be regarded rather schematically as the exercise of a combination of two facilities, which we may call intuition and ingenuity.

If a machine is expected to be infallible, it cannot also be intelligent.

Sometimes people rehabilitate and reform their lives into being a great person when they make awful choices as children.

All great things are done for their own sake.

Mankind’s greatest achievements have come about by talking and its greatest failures by not talking. It doesn’t have to be like this.

So often in life, things that you regard as an impediment turn out to be great, good fortune.

For there is no defense for a man who, in the excess of his wealth, has kicked the great altar of Justice out of sight.

The ability to ask questions is the greatest resource in learning the truth.

The greatest wisdom is to get to know oneself.

A great democracy has got to be progressive or it will soon cease to be great or a democracy.