There is no such thing as great wisdom in the world, just as there is no such thing as talent. What exists is triviality. If you keep doing repetitive things, you become an expert; if you do repetitive things with special focus, you become a master.
I don't have any particular recipe [for developing new proofs] ... It is the reason why doing research is challenging as well as attractive. It's like being lost in a jungle and trying to use all the knowledge that you can gather to come up with some new tricks, and with some luck you might find a way out.
We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the Universe. That makes us something very special.
Computer programming is an art, because it applies accumulated knowledge to the world, because it requires skill and ingenuity, and especially because it produces objects of beauty.
