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.

It's OK to figure out murder mysteries, but you shouldn't need to figure out code. You should be able to read it.

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.

Good visual layout shows the logical structure of a program.

Good code is its own best documentation. As you're about to add a comment, ask yourself, "How can I improve the code so that this comment isn't needed?" Improve the code and then document it to make it even clearer.