I was incredibly lucky that my first book found a large and loyal readership. It changed my life - from being a very withdrawn adult to living in Paris as a full-time writer. It has also given me enormous confidence. Daniel Tammet adultbookchange share on social
There is no such thing as an average person. They really are guidelines for people to grapple with the unknown, and we can always surprise expectations. Daniel Tammet averageexpectationgrapple Change image and share on social
Often autism is portrayed in the media as a very negative condition, as something that prevents somebody from communicating or from socializing or from being able to have any kind of normal, happy life. Daniel Tammet autismcommunicatecondition share on social
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 apartmentavignoncity share on social
Squaring numbers is a symmetrical process that I like very much. And when I divide one number by another, say, 13 divided by 97, I see a spiral rotating downwards in larger and larger loops that seem to warp and curve. The shapes coalesce into the right number. I never write anything down. Daniel Tammet coalescecurvedivide share on social
37 is a lumpy number, a bit like porridge. Six is very small and dark and cold, and whenever I was little trying to understand what sadness is I would imagine myself inside a number six and having that experience of cold and darkness. Similarly, number four is a shy number. Daniel Tammet bitecolddark share on social
What I do find surprising is that other people do not think in the same way. I find it hard to imagine a world where numbers and words are not how I experience them! Daniel Tammet experiencefindhard Change image and share on social
I do read a lot, and I think in recent years the ratio between the amount of non-fiction and fiction has tipped quite considerably. I did read fiction as a teenager as well, mostly because I was forced to read fiction, of course, to go through high school. Daniel Tammet amountconsiderablyfiction share on social
There is this mythology that says that when people are born, their brains are essentially fixed very early on and they're not able to change their connections. I was aware that was a myth and that people could learn new skills. Daniel Tammet awarebearbrain share on social
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 broadencaseconfident Change image and share on social