The use of anthropomorphic terminology forces you linguistically to adopt an operational view. And it makes it practically impossible to argue about programs independently of their being executed.

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

The art of programming is the art of organizing complexity.

Testing shows the presence, not the absence of bugs.

Aim for brevity while avoiding jargon.

Simplicity is a great virtue but it requires hard work to achieve it and education to appreciate it. And to make matters worse: complexity sells better.

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