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

The job of the average manager requires a shift in focus every few minutes. The job of the average software developer requires that the developer not shift focus more often than every few hours.

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

In my experience, you either have encapsulation and abstraction or you have neither. There is no middle ground.

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

Testing by itself does not improve software quality. Test results are an indicator of quality, but in and of themselves, they don't improve it. Trying to improve software quality by increasing the amount of testing is like trying to lose weight by weighing yourself more often. What you eat before you step onto the scale determines how much you will weigh, and the software development techniques you use determine how many errors testing will find. If you want to lose weight, don't buy a new scale; change your diet. If you want to improve your software, don't test more; develop better.

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.