Every program has (at least) two purposes: the one for which it was written and another for which it wasn’t. ALAN PERLIS Every ProgramPurposeTwoWritten
We are on the verge: Today our program proved Fermat’s next-to-last theorem. ALAN PERLIS FermatLastNextProgramProveTheoremTodayVerge
In the long run, every program becomes rococo, and then rubble. ALAN PERLIS Every ProgramLongRubbleRun
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 AwfulBeganComplainCourseCustomerPaySeriouslyShaftedStart
Often it is the means that justify the ends: goals advance technique and technique survives even when goal structures crumble. ALAN PERLIS AdvanceCrumbleEndJustifyOftenStructureSurviveTechnique
A language that doesn’t affect the way you think about programming is not worth knowing. ALAN PERLIS AffectLanguageProgramThinkWorth
Once you understand how to write a program get someone else to write it. ALAN PERLIS OnceProgramSomeoneUnderstandWriteWrote
We toast the Lisp programmer who pens his thoughts within nests of parentheses. ALAN PERLIS LispParenthesesPenProgrammerThoughtToast
Adapting old programs to fit new machines usually means adapting new machines to behave like old ones. ALAN PERLIS AdaptBehaveMachineMeanOldOneProgramUsual
A LISP programmer knows the value of everything, but the cost of nothing. ALAN PERLIS CostEverythingKnowLipsNothingProgram
Are more sure when you can write, even more when you can teach, but certain when you can program. ALAN PERLIS CertainEvenMoreProgramSureTeachWrite
If you have a procedure with 10 parameters, you probably missed some. ALAN PERLIS DoneMssParameterProcedureVerge
A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God. ALAN PERLIS ArtificialBelieveEnoughGodIntelligenceSpent
Motto for a research laboratory: what we work on today, others will first think of tomorrow. ALAN PERLIS FirstLaboratoryMottoOftenResearchThinkTodayTomorrowWork
The best book on programming for the layman is Alice in Wonderland, but that’s because it’s the best book on anything for the layman. ALAN PERLIS AnythingBestBookLaymanPeopleWonderland
A picture is worth 10K words – but only those to describe the picture. ALAN PERLIS DescribePictureTenThousandWordWorth
Everything should be built top-down, except the first time. ALAN PERLIS BuildDownEverythingExceptFirstTimeUp
Simplicity does not precede complexity, but follows it. ALAN PERLIS ComplexityFollowPrecedeSimplicity
When someone says, “I want a programming language in which I need only say what I want done,” give him a lollipop. ALAN PERLIS DoneLanguageLolipopNeedOnlyProgrammeSaySomeone
Training will not substantially help matters. We have to learn to live with it. ALAN PERLIS HelpLearnLiveMatterSustainTraining
It is better to have 100 functions operate on one data structure than to have 10 functions operate on 10 data structures. ALAN PERLIS BetterDataFunctionOperateStructure
