“I guess I think of lotteries as a tax on the mathematically challenged.”

“Do you work for the government, any government?”"I pay taxes, which means I work for the government, part of the time. Yes.”

“If in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge in mathematics...”

“Being challenged in life is inevitable, being defeated is optional.”

“What do you think it is to be normal?'Why in the world would you want to be?' she says.I don't know. I guess that's the problem.'I don't think normal is that great.'But so many people choose it,' I reply.I don't think that's it at all. I think most everyone is normal and some of us, for whatever reason, choose to reject that and wear ruby red slippers or old black hats.'Well, why do we choose the hard road?”

“We have a closed circle of consistency here: the laws of physics produce complex systems, and these complex systems lead to consciousness, which then produces mathematics, which can then encode in a succinct and inspiring way the very underlying laws of physics that gave rise to it.”

“Neglect of mathematics work injury to all knowledge, since he who is ignorant of it cannot know the other sciences or things of this world. And what is worst, those who are thus ignorant are unable to perceive their own ignorance, and so do not seek a remedy.”