An expert is, according to my working definition "someone who doesn't need to look up answers to easy questions". -- Eric Lippert.
We fail to realize that mastery is not about perfection. It's about a process, a journey. The master is the one who stays on the path day after day, year after year. The master is the one who is willing to try, and fail, and try again, for as long as he or she lives. -- George Leonard, Mastery.
Rules of Optimization: Rule 1: Don’t do it. Rule 2 (for experts only): Don’t do it yet. -- M.A. Jackson
Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect. -- Mark Twain
Getting back to failing early, I've learned it's important to completely fail. Get fired. Shoot the project, then burn its corpse. Melt the CVS repository and microwave the backup CDs. When things go wrong, I've often tried to play the hero from start to finish. Guess what? Some projects are doomed no matter what. Some need skills I don't possess. And some need a fresh face. -- Reginald Braithwaite
Actually, the essence of boredom is to be found in the obsessive search for novelty. Satisfaction lies in mindful repetition, the discovery of endless richness in subtle variations on familiar themes. -- George Leonard, Mastery.
What’s the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable. ~Anonymous
It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see. ~Anonymous
Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above it. ~Washington Irving
There is no chance, no destiny, no fate, that can hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul. ~Ella Wheeler Wilcox