"It is through proof that human mathematicians transcend the limitations of their humanity. Proofs link human mathematicians to truths of the universe. In the romance, proofs are discoveries of those truths." (George Lakoff & Rafael E Nuñez, "Where Mathematics Come From: How the Embodied Mind Brings Mathematics into Being, 2000)
"We tackle a multifaceted universe one face at a time, tailoring our models and equations to fit the facts at hand. Whatever mechanical conception proves appropriate, that is the one to use. Discovering worlds within worlds, a practical observer will deal with each realm on its own terms. It is the only sensible approach to take." (Michael Munowitz, "Knowing: The Nature of Physical Law", 2005)
"Equations seem like treasures, spotted in the rough by some discerning individual, plucked and examined, placed in the grand storehouse of knowledge, passed on from generation to generation. This is so convenient a way to present scientific discovery, and so useful for textbooks, that it can be called the treasure-hunt picture of knowledge." (Robert P Crease, "The Great Equations", 2009)
"The urge to discover, to invent, to know the unknown, seems so deeply human that we cannot imagine our history without it." (Alan Lightman, "The Discoveries: Great Breakthroughs in 20th-Century Science, Including the Original Papers", 2009)
"Metaphor lives a secret life all around us. We utter about six metaphors a minute. Metaphorical thinking is essential to how we understand ourselves and others, how we communicate and learn, discover and invent." (James Geary, "I Is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes the Way We See the World", 2011)
"Science would be better understood if we called theories ‘misconceptions’ from the outset, instead of only after we have discovered their successors." (David Deutsch, "Beginning of Infinity", 2011)
"Models do not only describe reality, they are also instruments for exploring reality. They are not only involved in the integration of known data, but also in the discovery of new data.” (Andreas Bartels, "The Standard Model of Cosmology as a Tool for Interpretation and Discovery”, 2013)
"Stories are how we think. They are how we make meaning of life. Call them schemas, scripts, mental maps, ideas, metaphors, or narratives. Stories are how we inspire and motivate human beings. Great stories help us to understand our place in the world, create our identity, discover our purpose, form our character and define and teach human values." (Jeroninio Almeida, "Karma Kurry for the Mind, Body, Heart & Soul", 2013)
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