A genius is somebody who seemingly just reaches out of nowhere.

Curiosity illuminates the correct path to anything in life. If you're not curious, that's when your brain is starting to die.

Remember that politics, colonialism, imperialism and war also originate in the human brain.

Self-awareness is a trait that not only makes us human but also paradoxically makes us want to be more than merely human. As I said in my BBC Reith Lectures, “Science tells us we are merely beasts, but we don’t feel like that. We feel like angels trapped inside the bodies of beasts, forever craving transcendence

Here is a neuron that fires when I reach and grab something, but it also fires when I watch Joe reaching and grabbing something. ... It's as though this neuron is adopting the other person's point of view.

Any ape can reach for a banana, but only humans can reach for the stars.

The minute you succumb to outside pressure, you cease to be creative.