One of the things I've been trying to do is look for simpler or rules underpinning good or bad design. I think one of the most valuable rules is avoid duplication. "Once and only once" is the Extreme Programming phrase.

I can't choose whether someone is offended by my actions. I can choose whether I care.

Comprehensiveness is the enemy of comprehensibility.

I've learned to always avoid saying "always"

In almost all cases, I’m opposed to setting aside time for refactoring. In my view refactoring is not an activity you set aside time to do. Refactoring is something you do all the time in little bursts.

Never in the annals of software engineering was so much owed by so many to so few lines of code

Comparing to another activity is useful if it helps you formulate questions, it's dangerous when you use it to justify answers.