When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. -- Sherlock Holmes

First learn computer science and all the theory. Next develop a programming style. Then forget all that and just hack. -- George Carrette

Let me try to get this straight: Lisp is a language for describing algorithms. This was JohnMcCarthy's original purpose, anyway: to build something more convenient than a Turing machine. Lisp is not about file, socket or GUI programming - Lisp is about expressive power. (For example, you can design multiple object systems for Lisp, in Lisp. Or implement the now-fashionable AOP. Or do arbitrary transformations on parsed source code.) If you don't value expressive power, Lisp ain't for you. I, personally, would prefer Lisp to not become mainstream: this would necessarily involve a dumbing down. -- VladimirSlepnev

Adapting old programs to fit new machines usually means adapting new machines to behave like old ones. -- Alan J. Perlis (Epigrams in programming)

Are you willing to wear your white belt? -- George Leonard, Mastery.

In OO, it's the data that is the "important" thing: you define the class which contains member data, and only incidentally contains code for manipulating the object. In FP, it's the code that's important: you define a function which contains code for working with the data, and only incidentally define what the data is. -- almkgor, on reddit

Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it’s safe or certain. ~Anonymous

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

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

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. –Lao Tzu