What does it mean to be yourself?” he asked. “If it means to do what you think you ought to do, then you’re doing that already. If it means to act like you’re exempt from society’s influence, that’s the worst advice in the world; you would probably stop bathing and wearing clothes. The advice to ‘be yourself’ is obviously nonsense. But our brains accept this tripe as wisdom because it is more comfortable to believe we have a strategy for life than to believe we have no idea how to behave.

Beware the advice of successful people; they do not seek company.

I wish I were dumber so I could be more certain about my opinions. It looks fun.

Man is a game playing animal and a computer is another way to play games.

By definition, risk-takers often fail. So do morons. In practice it's difficult to sort them out.

Science is a good thing. News reporters are good things too. But it's never a good idea to put them in the same room.

Methods for predicting the future: 1) read horoscopes, tea leaves, tarot cards, or crystal balls . . . collectively known as "nutty methods;" 2) put well-researched facts into sophisticated computer . . . commonly referred to as "a complete waste of time."