A security system is only as secure as its secret. Beware of pseudo-secrets.

Prototype, then polish. Get it working before you optimize it

Release early. Release often. And listen to your customers.

Being able to break security doesn't make you a hacker anymore than being able to hotwire cars makes you an automotive engineer.

To solve an interesting problem, start by finding a problem that is interesting to you.

You cannot motivate the best people with money. Money is just a way to keep score. The best people in any field are motivated by passion.

Treating your users as co-developers is your least-hassle route to rapid code improvement and effective debugging.