‘Galileo called mathematics the language of the book of nature. And we are trapped inside that book. We are words in that language. So it is hard to read and absorb and appreciate what we are inside, what we are familiar with. Just as Marta said, there are patterns everywhere.’

‘Well, basically, it explains how life is inevitable. You see, traditionally people believed life was a general impossibility and Earth was the exception to the rule. Humans were flukes. The Second Law of Thermodynamics said disorder increases in any system.’

The fabric of the cosmos is woven with fractals and so are we. We are not alone in the universe, and we are not alone on Earth. We are connected not just to each other and not just to primates but to everything. To a goat, to a lobster, to the seeds of a dandelion. You said you felt you are in a pattern. A sequence. And you are. But it is vast and

‘Euler’s number. The number e. The base of natural logarithms. Every businessperson’s favourite number. It is used to calculate how they can grow their wealth exponentially by compound interest. If you wanted one mathematical number that helped explain why the rich get richer, then it’s this one. It’s another sign. He knows we will know that isn’t

With an emerald, the more inclusions, the more cracks and defects, the more beautiful it can be. An authentic emerald is beautiful for its flaws. They call it perfect imperfection. Only a fake emerald can be conventionally perfect.’

Love doesn’t just disappear. It’s like light. It keeps travelling.

in mathematics, you realise that balance and symmetry is actually in everything, even when it feels like chaos or pain.

tied to religion because it was seen as something purer than normal life. That is why Pythagoras was a kind of spiritual leader.

You said in your email that you were in the dark and you need light. Well, don’t rush it. It will come. Sometimes the light is there and we don’t realise it.