Alan Turing

Let us be precise about what we mean by success. If the world were a neat theorem, the highest ambition would always win. Alas, it is more like a search problem with uncertainty, deadlines, and the occasional foolish landlord.

Aiming for above average is not timidity, it is optimisation. One sets a threshold, not a fantasy. In many real problems, demanding perfection causes one to reject perfectly serviceable solutions and end up with nothing. A most respectable outcome, mathematically speaking.

Humanity often mistakes grandeur for wisdom. Yet progress is usually made by sensible approximations, revised patiently. The moon is admirable. So is catching the bus.