C is a razor-sharp tool, with which one can create an elegant and efficient program or a bloody mess.

Do what you think is interesting, do something that you think is fun and worthwhile, because otherwise you won’t do it well anyway.
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Fun Interesting Thinking
Mechanical rules are never a substitute for clarity of thought.
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Clarity Substitute Thought
Another effective [debugging] technique is to explain your code to someone else. This will often cause you to explain the bug to yourself.
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Learning Mind Sorry
If you had done something twice, you are likely to do it again.
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Done Mathematics
Don’t document bad code – rewrite it.
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Code Engineering Programming Quality Software
Believe the terrain, not the map
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Believe Maps Terrain
Trivia rarely affect efficiency. Are all the machinations worth it, when their primary effect is to make the code less readable?
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Efficiency Statistics Trivia
Trying to outsmart a compiler defeats much of the purpose of using one.
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Defeat Purpose Trying
C is a razor-sharp tool, with which one can create an elegant and efficient program or a bloody mess.
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Program Razors Tools
… it is a fundamental principle of testing that you must know in advance the answer each test case is supposed to produce. If you don’t, you are not testing; you are experimenting.
BRIAN KERNIGHAN

Answers Fundamentals Principles

More Brian Kernighan Quotes