Turing, Alan

"The definition of real numbers in terms of the behavior of a machine is conceptually sound."

"Every kind of argument based on normal human behavior is extremely weak because the machine will not behave in a normal human way."

"Man as we know him is a rather rare phenomenon in the universe."

"The significance of this fact lies not in the machine's ability but in the broader principles it illustrates."

"I am convinced that machines can and should be made to be creative."

"The idea behind digital computers may be explained by saying that these machines are intended to carry out any operations which could be carried out by a human computer."

"Computing machinery and intelligence - these are not separate domains but intertwined aspects of understanding the mind."

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

"The question 'Can machines think?' is itself too meaningless to deserve discussion."

"It is possible to produce the effectives of a machine by writing down a set of rules of the form 'if you are in state A, then do B.'"

"In mathematics you don't understand things. You just get used to them."

"Machinery taking the place of labourers affords us the most unequivocal proof of the soundness of the labour theory of value."

"Secrecy is the badge of fraud."

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

"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."

"Those who can imagine anything, can create the impossible."

"The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that very existence is an act of rebellion."

"Believe in yourself and others will too. That is the essence of leadership."

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

"The notion that one cannot enjoy both freedom and order is a false dichotomy."

"Science is a differential equation. Religion is a boundary condition."

"Play fairly, be honest, and don't allow sloppy thinking."

"The so-called 'impossible' often simply marks the edge of what we have dared to imagine."

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

"The effect of a good education is to make you want to go on learning."

"Programming is like sex: one mistake and you have to support it for the rest of your life."

"Instead of trying to produce a programme to simulate the adult mind, why not rather try to produce one which simulates the child's?"

"The difficulty is that her memories are all contradictory, and her perceptions distorted."

"One can see only a short distance ahead, but one can see plenty there that needs to be done."

"Turing believes machines may eventually be able to think."