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

A typical software project can present more opportunities to learn from mistakes than some people get in a lifetime.

Software projects fail for one of two general reasons: the project team lacks the knowledge to conduct a software project successfully, or the project team lacks the resolve to conduct a project effectively.

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.

A brute force solution that works is better than an elegant solution that doesn't work.

It's better to wait for a productive programmer to become available than it is to wait for the first available programmer to become productive.

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