This challenge, viz. the confrontation with the programming task, is so unique that this novel experience can teach us a lot about ourselves. It should deepen our understanding of the processes of design and creation, it should give us better control over the task of organizing our thoughts. If it did not do so, to my taste we should no deserve the computer at all! It has allready taught us a few lessons, and the one I have chosen to stress in this talk is the following. We shall do a much better programming job, provided that we approach the task with a full appreciation of its tremenduous difficulty, provided that we stick to modest and elegant programming languages, provided that we respect the intrinsec limitations of the human mind and approach the task as Very Humble Programmers. -- E. W. Dijkstra, The humble programmer

I feel it is everybodies obligation to reach for the best in themselves and use that for the interest of mankind. -- Corneluis (comment on 'Are you going to change the world? (Really?)')

Being a programmer is the same way. The only way to be a good programmer is to write code. When you realize you haven't been writing much code lately, and it seems like all you do is brag about code you wrote in the past, and people start looking at you funny while you're shooting your mouth off, realize it's because they know. They might not even know they know, but they know. So, yes, doing what you love brings success, and by all means, throw yourself a nice big party, buy yourself a nice car, soak up the adulation of an adoring crowd. Then shut the fuck up and get back to work. -- Sincerity Theory

Lisp programmers know the value of everything but the cost of nothing. -- Alan J. Perlis

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.

Good programmers use their brains, but good guidelines save us having to think out every case. -- Francis Glassborow

Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. –W. Clement Stone

When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you. ~Lolly Daskal

I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have. ~Thomas Jefferson

We become what we think about most of the time, and that’s the strangest secret. ~Earl Nightingale