Alan Turing Famous Quotes, OBE, FRS, born June 23, 1912, in London, England, and passing on June 7, 1954, was a British mathematician, computer scientist, and cryptanalyst, revered as the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence. His Turing Machine, conceptualized in On Computable Numbers (1936), laid the groundwork for modern computers, while his codebreaking efforts at Bletchley Park during World War II hastened the Allied victory. Turing’s Computing Machinery and Intelligence (1950) introduced the Turing Test, a cornerstone of AI philosophy. Despite his contributions, he endured persecution for his homosexuality, cementing his legacy as both a genius and a martyr. These 15 famous quotes—sourced from his writings, lectures, and posts on X—highlight his most celebrated insights on computing, intelligence, and human potential, capturing his visionary brilliance and lasting influence.
15 Alan Turing Famous Quotes
- “Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” (Attributed, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.” (Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 1950)
- “A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.” (Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 1950)
- “Those who can imagine anything, can create the impossible.” (Attributed, AZQuotes, n.d.)
- “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.” (Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 1950)
- “The original question, ‘Can machines think?’ I believe to be too meaningless to deserve discussion.” (Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 1950)
- “Machines take me by surprise with great frequency.” (Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 1950)
- “We are not interested in the fact that the brain has the consistency of cold porridge.” (Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 1950)
- “A man provided with paper, pencil, and rubber, and subject to strict discipline, is in effect a universal machine.” (Intelligent Machinery, 1948)
- “Science is a differential equation. Religion is a boundary condition.” (Attributed, BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Instead of trying to produce a programme to simulate the adult mind, why not rather try to produce one which simulates the child’s?” (Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 1950)
- “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.” (Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 1950)
- “Mathematical reasoning may be regarded rather schematically as the exercise of a combination of two facilities, which we may call intuition and ingenuity.” (Systems of Logic Based on Ordinals, 1939)
- “I am not very impressed with theological arguments whatever they may be used to support.” (Computing Machinery and Intelligence, 1950)
- “One day ladies will take their computers for walks in the park and tell each other, ‘My little computer said such a funny thing this morning’!” (Lecture, 1951, via Post on X, @AlanTuringQuote, 2024-06-23)
Alan Turing’s famous quotes are a timeless fusion of intellectual foresight, logical precision, and imaginative boldness, inspiring innovators and thinkers to redefine the boundaries of technology and humanity. Which quote fuels your vision of the future? Drop it in the comments and keep Turing’s monumental legacy thriving!
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