Consciousness ... is the phenomenon whereby the universe's very existence is made known.
Roger PenrosePeople think of these eureka moments and my feeling is that they tend to be little things, a little realisation and then a little realisation built on that.
Roger PenroseIt is always the case, with mathematics, that a little direct experience of thinking over things on your own can provide a much deeper understanding than merely reading about them.
Roger PenroseSome years ago, I wrote a book called the Emperor’s New Mind and that book was describing a point of view I had about consciousness and why it was not something that comes about from complicated calculations.
Roger PenroseNo doubt there are some who, when confronted with a line of mathematical symbols, however simply presented, can only see the face of a stern parent or teacher who tried to force into them a non-comprehending parrot-like apparent competence--a duty and a duty alone--and no hint of magic or beauty of the subject might be allowed to come through.
Roger Penrose