I would rather be an optimist and be wrong than a pessimist who proves to be right. The former sometimes wins, but never the latter. -- "Hoots"

Of all tyrannies a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies, The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience. -- C.S. Lewis

Simplicity means the achievement of maximum effect with minimum means. -- Dr. Koichi Kawana

If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. -- Official definition of "duck typing"

Only bad designers blame their failings on the users. -- unknown

What I didn't understand was that the value of some new acquisition wasn't the difference between its retail price and what I paid for it. It was the value I derived from it. Stuff is an extremely illiquid asset. Unless you have some plan for selling that valuable thing you got so cheaply, what difference does it make what it's "worth?" The only way you're ever going to extract any value from it is to use it. And if you don't have any immediate use for it, you probably never will. -- Paul Graham

Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument. ~Anonymous

If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money. –Abigail Van Buren

It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live. –Mae Jemison

The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success. ~Bruce Feirstein