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Fools ignore complexity. Pragmatists suffer it. Some can avoid it. Geniuses remove it.

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Marilyn Monroe Paulo Coelho Abraham Lincoln C. S. Lewis Khalil Gibran Charlie Chaplin Gautama Buddha Isaac Newton

Motto for a research laboratory: what we work on today, others will first think of tomorrow.
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First Laboratory Motto Often Research Think Today Tomorrow Work
In English every word can be verbed. Would that it were so in our programming languages.
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English Language Program Verb Word
Like seeing, movement or flow or alteration of view is more important than the static picture, no matter how lovely.
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Alternation Important Life Lovely Matter More Movement Picture Seek View
Optimization hinders evolution.
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Evolution Hinder One Liner Optimization
When it started out, it was an awful lot of fun. Of course, the paying customers got shafted every now and then, and after a while we began to take their complaints seriously.
ALAN PERLIS

Awful Began Complain Course Customer Pay Seriously Shafted Start
FORTRAN is not a flower but a weed – it is hardy, occasionally blooms, and grows in every computer.
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Bloom Computer Flower Fortean Grow Hardy Occasionally Weed
It is better to have 100 functions operate on one data structure than to have 10 functions operate on 10 data structures.
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Better Data Function Operate Structure
A LISP programmer knows the value of everything, but the cost of nothing.
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Cost Everything Know Lips Nothing Program
It is easier to change the specification to fit the program than vice versa.
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Chance Earlier Program Specification Versa Vice
There is no such thing as a free variable.
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Free Such Thing Variable
Everything should be built top-down, except the first time.
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Build Down Everything Except First Time Up
If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some.
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Done Mss Parameter Procedure Verge
A good programming language is a conceptual universe for thinking about programming.
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Conceptual Good Language Program Think Universe
Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it.
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Complexity Follow Precede Simplicity
If your computer speaks English, it was probably made in Japan.
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Computer Country English Made Probably Speak
“Toward what end, toward what end?”-but do not ask it too often lest you pass up the fun of programming for the constipation of bittersweet philosophy.
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Bittersweet End Fun Least Often Pass Philosophy Program Toward
I hope the field of computer science never loses its sense of fun.
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Computer Field Fun Hope Lose Science Sense
Is it possible that software is not like anything else.
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Anything Else Like Possible Software
A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.
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Attention Irrelevant Language Low Program Require
Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.
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Absorb Change Language Manage Program Progress Some Withstand
Learning French is trivial: the word for horse is cheval, and everything else follows in the same way.
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Cheval Everything Follow Horse Language Learn Same Trivial Way Word
In the long run, every program becomes rococo, and then rubble.
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Every Program Long Rubble Run
Don’t have good ideas if you aren’t willing to be responsible for them.
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Good Idea Responsible Them Will
If a listener nods his head when you’re explaining your program, wake him up.
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Explain Head Listener Nod Program Wake
Every program has (at least) two purposes: the one for which it was written and another for which it wasn’t.
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Every Program Purpose Two Written
In computing, turning the obvious into the useful is a living definition of the word “frustration”.
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Compute Defibation Frustration Live Obvious Turn Useful Word
Are more sure when you can write, even more when you can teach, but certain when you can program.
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Certain Even More Program Sure Teach Write

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