We need to treat technology like the untamed beast it is. An unlikely but possible massive failure shouldn’t lead to a colossal disaster.

— Lance Fortnow, The Golden Ticket

humans appear to have a built-in immune system for threats to their own well-being. If we’re about to blame ourselves for bad behavior, our minds intervene with a whitewash.

— David DeSteno, The Truth About Trust

Legacy modernizations are hard not because they are technically hard—the problems and the solutions are usually well understood—it’s the people side of the modernization effort that is hard.

— Marianne Bellotti, Kill It With Fire

One of the most important things a programmer can say is “No!” Said at the right time, in the right context, this answer can save your employer massive amounts of money and prevent horrible failures and embarrassments.

— Robert C. Martin, Clean Craftsmanship

Venture capitalists have a list of danger signs to watch out for. Near the top is the company run by techno-weenies who are obsessed with solving interesting technical problems, instead of making users happy.

— Paul Graham, Hackers & Painters