Growing up, I would have to watch the other children and learn from my mistakes. I would have to push myself to overcome the things most people don’t have to think about. Brushing my teeth was very difficult because of the noise of the brush. Daniel Tammet Read Quote
My autism is a very mild form. It was diagnosed at the age of 25, partly because it wasn’t diagnosable as a teenager (this is Asperger’s syndrome, specifically). But there were certainly traits within that condition, within the autism spectrum in general, especially at the high functioning end, that I think are best looked at as pluses. Daniel Tammet Read Quote
The way that I approached numbers, think about them, the same as for language as well-acquiring vocabulary, understanding the grammar, the structures of languages, the rhythm, the music and so-on – these things obviously evolved. Daniel Tammet Read Quote
When I achieved the European record for reciting pi in 2004, this captured the imagination of Professor Simon Baron-Cohen in Cambridge, and he finally diagnosed me with Asperger’s that year. Daniel Tammet Read Quote
Someone who copies a Van Gogh does not therefore become Van Gogh, and the same would go for Mozart or anyone else who contributed something that was original. Certainly in the way that I described visualizing numbers in abstract, meaningful shapes. Daniel Tammet Read Quote
I feel traveling certainly does broaden the mind. In my case certainly I feel more confident. It gives you a new perspective on the world. Daniel Tammet Read Quote
There are always things I find difficult – being in crowds, remembering faces. I do like routines. I always travel with someone. My life in Avignon is a very quiet one. I have an apartment that looks over the whole city. I can drop into town, but a lot of the time I write from home. In some respects I still live a very quiet, simple life. Daniel Tammet Read Quote