Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls aren't there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show us how badly we want things.

I was trying to put myself in a bottle that would one day wash up on the beach for my children. If I were a painter, I would have painted for them. If I were a musician, I would have composed music. But I am a lecturer. So I lectured.

It's easy to be smart when you are parodying smart people.

Better to fail spectacularly than do something mediocre.

Throughout my academic career, I'd given some pretty good talks. But being considered the best speaker in the computer science department is like being known as the tallest of the Seven Dwarfs.

Everyone has to contribute to the common good. To not do so can be described in one word: selfish.

I'll take an earnest person over a hip person every day, because hip is short-term, earnest is long term.