Software is like sex: it’s better when it’s free of bugs.
The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency.
A language that doesn’t affect the way you think about programming is not worth knowing.
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
An algorithm must be seen to be believed.
Most good programmers do programming not because they expect to get paid or get adulation by the public, but because it is fun to program.
Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
Programming is an art form that fights back.
Everybody in this country should learn how to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.
Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it.
Software development is like gardening: you plant seeds, nurture them, and watch them grow.
We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten.
There are two ways of constructing a software design: one way is to make it so simple that there are obviously no deficiencies, and the other way is to make it so complicated that there are no obvious deficiencies.
Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.
The art of programming is the art of organizing complexity.
Talk is cheap. Show me the code. Then make it simple and maintainable.
Software is a great combination between artistry and engineering.
Don’t call me to debug your program; learn to think about correctness first.
Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple.
The programmer, like the poet, works only slightly removed from pure thought-stuff.
Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow.
Your most important work is what you do today, in code and design.
A language that doesn’t affect the way you think about programming is not worth knowing.
Innovation comes from people meeting up in the hallways or calling each other at 10:30 at night with a new idea.
Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer. Art is everything else we do.
Software is like humor. When you have to explain it, it’s bad.
The programmer must not only understand the problem but also foresee future complexities.
Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.
Premature optimization is the root of all evil.
Measuring programming progress by lines of code is like measuring aircraft building progress by weight.
There are two methods in software design. One is to make the program so simple, there are obviously no errors. The other is to make it so complicated, there are no obvious errors.
First, solve the problem. Then, write the code.