This challenge, viz. the confrontation with the programming task, is so unique that this novel experience can teach us a lot about ourselves. It should deepen our understanding of the processes of design and creation, it should give us better control over the task of organizing our thoughts. If it did not do so, to my taste we should no deserve the computer at all! It has allready taught us a few lessons, and the one I have chosen to stress in this talk is the following. We shall do a much better programming job, provided that we approach the task with a full appreciation of its tremenduous difficulty, provided that we stick to modest and elegant programming languages, provided that we respect the intrinsec limitations of the human mind and approach the task as Very Humble Programmers. -- E. W. Dijkstra, The humble programmer

Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. -- Eleanor Roosevelt

In general, we can think of data as defined by some collection of selectors and constructors, together with specified conditions that these procedures must fulfill in order to be a valid representation. -- SICP, What is meant by data?

- Gbi de fer - Howa! - On va en France - Non, je vais pas! - Pourquoi? - Parce ki y a pas agouti là-bas! -- Gbi de fer

La tactique, c'est ce que vous faites quand il y a quelque chose à faire; la stratégie, c'est ce que vous faites quand il n'y a rien à faire. -- Xavier Tartacover

If debugging is the process of removing bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in. -- Edsger W. Dijkstra

The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself--the invisible battles inside all of us--that's where it's at. –Jesse Owens

The only way to do great work is to love what you do. –Steve Jobs

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. ~Eleanor Roosevelt

You can’t fall if you don’t climb. But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground. –Unknown