Notable proverbs and sayings related to computer science

The required techniques of effective reasoning are pretty formal, but as long as programming is done by people that don't master them, the software crisis will remain with us and will be considered an incurable disease. And you know what incurable diseases do: they invite the quacks and charlatans in, who in this case take the form of Software Engineering gurus. [attributed to Edsger Dijkstra ]

The question of whether machines can think is about as relevant as the question of whether submarines can swim. [ Edsger Dijkstra, 1984]

When there were no computers, programming was no problem. When we had a few weak computers, it became a mild problem. Now that we have gigantic computers, programming is a gigantic problem. [ Edsger Dijkstra ]

Whereas Europeans generally pronounce my name the right way ('Nick-louse Veert'), Americans invariably mangle it into 'Nickel's Worth.' This is to say that Europeans call me by name, but Americans call me by value. [ Niklaus Wirth ]

If you tell people where to go, but not how to get there, you'll be amazed at the results. [General George Patton ]

The solution to a problem changes the nature of the problem. [John Peers]

...it is almost always incorrect to begin the decomposition of a system into modules on the basis of a flowchart. We propose instead that one begins with a list of difficult design decisions or design decisions which are likely to change. Each module is then designed to hide such a decision from the others. [ David Parnas ]

Besides a mathematical inclination, an exceptionally good mastery of one's native tongue is the most vital asset of a competent programmer. [ Edsger Dijkstra, 1982]

For every 25 percent increase in problem complexity, there is a 100 percent increase in solution complexity. [“Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering”, Robert L. Glass]

Measuring programming progress by lines of code is like measuring aircraft building progress by weight. [ Bill Gates ]

Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. [ Brian Kernigan ]

Inside every well-written large program is a well-written small program. [ C. A. R. Hoare ]

The computer programmer is a creator of universes for which he alone is responsible. Universes of virtually unlimited complexity can be created in the form of computer programs. [ Joseph Weizenbaum ]

Controlling complexity is the essence of computer programming. [ Brian Kernigan ]

I mean, if 10 years from now, when you are doing something quick and dirty, you suddenly visualize that I am looking over your shoulders and say to yourself: “Dijkstra would not have liked this”, well that would be enough immortality for me. [attributed to Edsger Dijkstra ]

A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works. [ Murphy's Laws Site --- Murphy's technology laws ]