The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise.

Are you quite sure that all those bells and whistles, all those wonderful facilities of your so called powerful programming languages, belong to the solution set rather than the problem set?

Besides a mathematical inclination, an exceptionally good mastery of one's native tongue is the most vital asset of a competent programmer.

The prisoner falls in love with his chains.

The effective exploitation of his powers of abstraction must be regarded as one of the most vital activities of a competent programmer.

Much of the excitement we get out of our work is that we don't really know what we are doing.

In their capacity as a tool, computers will be but a ripple on the surface of our culture. In their capacity as intellectual challenge, they are without precedent in the cultural history of mankind.