[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).

What do Americans look for in a car? I've heard many answers when I've asked this question. The answers include excellent safety ratings, great gas mileage, handling, and cornering ability, among others. I don't believe any of these. That's because the first principle of the Culture Code is that the only effective way to understand what people truly mean is to ignore what they say. This is not to suggest that people intentionally lie or misrepresent themselves. What it means is that, when asked direct questions about their interests and preferences, people tend to give answers they believe the questioner wants to hear. Again, this is not because they intend to mislead. It is because people respond to these questions with their cortexes, the parts of their brains that control intelligence rather than emotion or instinct. They ponder a question, they process a question, and when they deliver an answer, it is the product of deliberation. They believe they are telling the truth. A lie detector would confirm this. In most cases, however, they aren't saying what they mean. -- The culture code.

Ce n’est que par les beaux sentiments qu’on parvient à la fortune ! -- Charles Baudelaire, Conseils aux jeunes littérateurs.

Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. -- Ferris Bueller

XML wasn't designed to be edited by humans on a regular basis. -- Guido van Rossum

J'ai toujours préféré la folie des passions à la sagesse de l'indifférence. -- Anatole France

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. ~Dale Carnegie

I didn’t fail the test. I just found 100 ways to do it wrong. –Benjamin Franklin

It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years. –Abraham Lincoln

The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. ~Bruce Lee