Always remember, however, that there’s usually a simpler and better way to do something than the first way that pops into your head.

Always remember, however, that there’s usually a simpler and better way to do something than the first way that pops into your head.

When you write a program, think of it primarily as a work of literature. You're trying to write something that human beings are going to read. Don't think of it primarily as something a computer is going to follow. The more effective you are at making your program readable, the more effective it's going to be: You'll understand it today, you'll understand it next week, and your successors who are going to maintain and modify it will understand it.

Science is what we understand well enough to explain to a computer. Art is everything else we do.

I'm obsessively detail-oriented.

I decry the current tendency to seek patents on algorithms. There are better ways to earn a living than to prevent other people from making use of one's contributions to computer science.

Email is a wonderful thing for people whose role in life is to be on top of things. But not for me; my role is to be on the bottom of things. What I do takes long hours of studying and uninterruptible concentration.