Motivation is undoubtedly the single greatest influence on how well people perform. Most productivity studies have found that motivation has a stronger influence on productivity than any other factor.

Good code is its own best documentation.

The primary purpose of software estimation is not to predict a project's outcome; it is to determine whether a project's targets are realistic enough to allow the project to be controlled to meet them.

Engineering is the application of scientific principles toward practical ends. If the engineering isn't practical, it's bad engineering.

In software, the chain isn't as strong as its weakest link; it's as weak as all the weak links multiplied together.

Trying to apply formal methods to all software projects is just as bad as trying to apply code-and-fix development to all projects.

The default movement on a software project should be in the direction of taking elements of the software away to make it simpler rather than adding elements to make it more complex.