What do people need to be good developers?

• Basic safety—freedom from hunger, physical harm, and threats to loved ones. Fear of job loss threatens this need.
• Accomplishment—the opportunity and ability to contribute to their society.
• Belonging—the ability to identify with a group from which they receive validation and accountability and contribute to its shared goals.
• Growth—the opportunity to expand their skills and perspective.
• Intimacy—the ability to understand and be understood deeply by others.

— Kent Beck, Cynthia Andres, Extreme Programming Explained

Eloi learn everything they know from being steeped from birth in electronic media directed and controlled by book-reading Morlocks. That many ignorant people could be dangerous if they got pointed in the wrong direction, and so we’ve evolved a popular culture that is (a) almost unbelievably infectious, and (b) neuters every person who gets infected by it, by rendering them unwilling to make judgments and incapable of taking stands.

— Neal Stephenson, In the Beginning…Was the Command Line

…the safest policy is simply not to give an off-the-cuff estimate. You never know how far it will travel, and it’s futile to try to put conditions on it…

— Steve McConnell, Rapid Development

Understanding the web browser also teaches us something about system design, which is arguably more important than programming…

— Jonathan E. Steinhart, The Secret Life of Programs

When those far removed from the creation of wealth — undergraduates, reporters, politicians — hear that the richest 5% of the people have half the total wealth, they tend to think injustice! An experienced programmer would be more likely to think is that all? The top 5% of programmers probably write 99% of the good software.

— Paul Graham, Hackers & Painters