A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God. -- Alan J. Perlis (Epigrams in programming)

State is the root of all evil. In particular functions with side effects should be avoided. -- OO Sucks (bluetail.com)

While I’ve always appreciated beautiful code, I share Jonathan’s concern about studying it too much. I think studying beauty in music and painting has led us to modern classical music and painting that the majority of us just don’t get. Beauty can be seen when it emerges, but isn’t something to strive for in isolation of a larger context. In the software world, the larger context would be the utility of the software to the end user. -- [A comment on a blog]

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

I invented the term Object-Oriented, and I can tell you I did not have C++ in mind. -- Alan Kay

There really is no learning without doing. -- Roger Schank, Engines for Education

The number one reason people fail in life is because they listen to their friends, family, and neighbors. ~Napoleon Hill

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

If you do what you always did, you will get what you always got. ~Anonymous

You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you had to overcome to reach your goals. ~Booker T. Washington