As we said in the preface to the first edition, C "wears well as one's experience with it grows." With a decade more experience, we still feel that way.

Controlling complexity is the essence of computer programming.

Each new user of a new system uncovers a new class of bugs.

Trivia rarely affect efficiency. Are all the machinations worth it, when their primary effect is to make the code less readable?

If you're as clever as you can be when you write it, how will you ever debug it?

Trying to outsmart a compiler defeats much of the purpose of using one.

Believe the terrain, not the map