The Best Alan Turing quotes

Mathematical reasoning may be regarded rather schematically as the exercise of a combination of two facilities, which we may call intuition and ingenuity. — Alan Turing

Machines take me by surprise with great frequency. — Alan Turing

I believe that at the end of the century the use of words and general educated opinion will have altered so much that one will be able to speak of machines thinking without expecting to be contradicted. — Alan Turing

Unless in communicating with it one says exactly what one means, trouble is bound to result. — Alan Turing

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. — Alan Turing

Up to a point, it is better to just let the snags [bugs] be there than to spend such time in design that there are none. — Alan Turing

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

Mathematical reasoning may be regarded… — Alan Turing

We can only see a short distance ahead, but We can see plenty there that needs to be done. — Alan Turing

Sometimes it’s the very people who no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine. — Alan Turing

A very large part of space–time must be investigated, if reliable results are to be obtained. — Alan Turing

I have had a dream indicating rather clearly that I am on the way to being hetero, though I don’t accept it with much enthusiasm either awake or in the dreams. — Alan Turing

A man provided with paper, pencil, and rubber, and subject to strict discipline, is in effect a universal machine. — Alan Turing

Those who can imagine anything, can create the impossible. — Alan Turing

The Exclusion Principle is laid down purely for the benefit of the electrons themselves, who might be corrupted (and become dragons or demons) if allowed to associate too freely. — Alan Turing

If a machine is expected to be infallible, it cannot also be intelligent. — Alan Turing

I’m afraid that the following syllogism may be used by some in the future. Turing believes machines think Turing lies with men Therefore machines do not think Yours in distress, Alan — Alan Turing

I want a permanent relationship, and I might feel inclined to reject anything which of its nature could not be permanent. — Alan Turing

The original question, ‘Can machines think?’ I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion. — Alan Turing

The works and customs of mankind do not seem to be very suitable material to which to apply scientific induction. — Alan Turing

Finding such a person makes everyone else appear so ordinary…and if anything happens to him, you’ve got nothing left but to return to the ordinary world, and a kind of isolation that never existed before. — Alan Turing

Messages from the unseen’ that the great Alan Turing left behind at his death: Science is a differential equation. Religion is a boundary condition. — Jim Holt

Codes are a puzzle. A game, just like any other game. — Alan Turing

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

It is not possible to produce a set of rules purporting to describe what a man should do in every conceivable set of circumstances. — Alan Turing

Science is a differential equation. Religion is a boundary condition. — Alan Turing