Abstraction is a form of data compression: absolutely necessary, because human short-term memory is so small, but the critically important aspect of abstraction is the algorithm that gets you from the name back to the "uncompressed" details. -- Bruce Wilder (blog post comment)

Never do the impossible. People will expect you to do it forever after. -- pigsandfishes.com

Have you ever noticed that when you sit down to write something, half the ideas that end up in it are ones you thought of while writing it? The same thing happens with software. Working to implement one idea gives you more ideas. -- Paul Graham, The other road ahead.

If something isn’t working, you need to look back and figure out what got you excited in the first place. -- David Gorman (ImThere.com)

For complex systems, the compiler and development environment need to be in the same language that its supporting. It's the only way to grow code. -- Alan Kay

[How friendly will this machine be?] Well, I don’t think it’s a matter of friendliness, because ultimately if the program is going to accomplish anything of value, it will probably be relatively complex. -- Gary Kildall (inventor of CP/M, one of the first OS for the micro).

Do what you can, where you are, with what you have. –Teddy Roosevelt

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. –Booker T. Washington

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

Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. –Pablo Picasso