[Thrymr]

This was not Feynman's own description of himself, it was how his colleague Murray Gell-Mann described Feynman's process [0]. The way that appears to others may differ from how someone believes they are working themselves.

[0] http://wiki.c2.com/?FeynmanAlgorithm

[kanzure]

"Murray Gell-Mann was reported to grumble that Feynman "spent a great deal of time and energy generating anecdotes about himself.""

[bee_rider]

It is funny that his quip has itself become part of the Feynman mystique.