2000年10月29日，在南京大学捐资设立杨振宁奖学金时，杨振宁表示，虽然我父亲是大学教授，但因为通货膨胀，家里很穷，生活很艰苦，是奖学金帮我度过了难关。近几年多次在大陆访问，看到不少青年学生因家境困难而影响学业，感到很伤心，所以就有了这么个想法。杨振宁说
Love is not a profession, it's a condition.
"The colony is the place where the project of a new humanity is to be tested, where the dream of a world without borders is to be realized, where the dream of a world without races is to be realized, where the dream of a world without nations is to be realized, where the dream of a world without classes is to be realized, where the dream of a world without genders is to be realized, where the dream of a world without religions is to be realized, where the dream of a world without money is to be realized."
The true artist is not proud: he is aware that art is infinite and he feels distant from his goal.
数学的美在于它让我们看到世界上不立即显现的模式和结构。