Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte. (I have made this letter so long only because I did not have the leisure to make it shorter.) -- Blaise Pascal (Lettres Provinciales)

The lesson of the story might appear to be that self-interested and ambitious people in power are often the cause of wastefulness in developing countries. But self-interested and ambitious people are in positions of power, great and small, all over the world. In many places, they are restrained by the law, the press, and democratic opposition. Cameroon's tragedy is that there is nothing to hold self-interest in check. -- Tim Harford

Omit needless words. -- William Strunk, Jr. (The Elements of Style)

A CS professor once explained recursion as follows: A child couldn't sleep, so her mother told her a story about a little frog, who couldn't sleep, so the frog's mother told her a story about a little bear, who couldn't sleep, so the bear's mother told her a story about a little weasel... who fell asleep. ...and the little bear fell asleep; ...and the little frog fell asleep; ...and the child fell asleep. -- everything2.com

Courage is grace under pressure. -- Ernest Hemingway

Software is like sex: It’s better when it’s free. -- Linus Torvalds

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe.~ Anatole France

You may only succeed if you desire succeeding; you may only fail if you do not mind failing. ~Philippos

Winning isn’t everything, but wanting to win is. –Vince Lombardi

Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. –Les Brown