“We are all strategists or game theorists at heart – it took several decades of people writing-down models and articles before we recognised what we know from playing poker; we don't know our opponent's hand.”

— Christopher Blattman

Economist specializing in conflict, development, and poverty research

The quote archive

Philosophy

A growing archive of 3,000+ moments, drawn from every interview.

When discussing consciousness with my three sons, I describe it as an emergent phenomenon. Imagine 80,000 people in a stadium, each one representing a neuron. The collective roar you hear when you approach the stadium might be likened to consciousness.

— Rahul Jandial

If you don't love the act of doing, you'll never find happiness. If your motivation is glory or money, you're bound to be disappointed. If you're more excited about lunch with investment bankers or the Harvard Club than dealing with the day-to-day realities—like working with bakers or being deeply involved in the entity—you'll end up unhappy.

— Ron Shaich

Founder and former CEO of Panera Bread Company

I believe that a mission can be something grand, but it doesn't have to be. Many people say, 'I'm just busy living my life, and I don't have time for some grand mission.' But I think a mission is present for almost everyone if they take the time to look for it. I think that if you care about something, then you have a mission.

— Cady Coleman

NASA Astronaut & Space Shuttle Mission Specialist

I've learned that people exist on a spectrum, and that's something many observers don't like to acknowledge. But it's a reality across all the wars we cover, on all sides of every conflict. No one thinks exactly the same; some people hold very hawkish views on certain issues while being less so on others.

— Trey Yingst

Fox News Correspondent and International Reporter

For me, that's the foundation of songwriting: improvisation. In improvisation on instruments, I feel creation is going a new path with every note, somewhere you haven't been before. You discover things, you're the adventurer in music.

— Toby Gad

Grammy-nominated music producer and songwriter behind major pop hits

As we continue to push the boundaries of what is computationally possible, we are not just developing a new technology, but fundamentally expanding our understanding of the universe and our place within it.

— Scott Aaronson

Theoretical computer scientist specializing in quantum computing and computational complexity

Having recently spent two years working on AI safety and ethics at OpenAI, I have been deeply engaged in examining the moral and societal implications of artificial intelligence. With AI, we face a profound civilizational question: as AI systems become increasingly capable of performing tasks previously done by humans, what role will humans play in an AI-driven world?

— Scott Aaronson

Theoretical computer scientist specializing in quantum computing and computational complexity

The strangeness of reality was apparent long before the advent of quantum mechanics. The history of science is a sequence of revelations, each showing that the true nature of things is not what it seems to the casual observer. Quantum mechanics, however, takes this weirdness to a new level.

— Scott Aaronson

Theoretical computer scientist specializing in quantum computing and computational complexity

Einstein famously said time is what a clock measures, which was a half-joke but also the best answer he could give. A clock measures the 'distance' it travels through spacetime between events. That's fascinating, but it still doesn't tell you what time actually is.

— Brian Cox