The problem is that once you have done away with the ability to make judgments as to right and wrong, true and false, etc., there’s no real culture left.

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

The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offence.

— Edsger W.Dijkstra, How Do We Tell Truths That Might Hurt?

Numerous “learn to code” boosters emphasize that “programming is fun.” I don’t agree; my sympathies are more in line with those expressed by Italian researcher Walter Vannini in his article “Coding Is Not ‘Fun’, It’s Technically and Ethically Complex.”

— Jonathan E. Steinhart, The Secret Life of Programs

Professional developers generally follow rules. They say that senior developers know when to break one (as they can justify the need to). On the other hand, it is said that very senior developers don’t break rules because it’s a waste of time having to keep explaining their reasons to others.

— Rafał Świdziński, Modern CMake for C++

I don’t practice what I preach because I’m not the kind of person I’m preaching to.

— Subgenius Foundation, Book of the Subgenius