I felt reminded of Hofstadter's Goedel/Escher/Bach mysticism that somehow everything is recursion.

I might not be a strange loop but I am indeed strange.

In any case, he did fit that into a book! If only barely.

Edit: On further reflection, I suppose he didn't, if we consider the effort to span Gödel Escher Bach and I Am a Strange Loop.

or the idea that the universe is a computer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Fredkin

Including free will

Self-simulation.