No 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 PenroseAnd these little things may not seem like much but after a while they take you off on a direction where you may be a long way off from what other people have been thinking about.
Roger PenroseIntelligence cannot be present without understanding. No computer has any awareness of what it does.
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 Penrose