Alan Perlis on Programming

“Computer Science is embarrassed by the computer.”

“Structured Programming supports the law of the excluded muddle.”

“There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.”

“Prolonged contact with the computer turns mathematicians into clerks and vice versa.”

“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.”

QuotesCosmos Cross-Civilizational Archive

Explore Related Wisdom Pillars, Worldviews & Canonical Works

Discover how humanity's greatest philosophers, sacred scriptures, and literary masterpieces address the core questions of existence.

30 Wisdom Pillars

Resilience • Love • Mortality • Time • Solitude • Truth • Courage • Purpose • All 30 Pillars →

22 Worldviews & Traditions

Stoicism • Existentialism • Buddhism • Taoism • Humanism • Ubuntu • All 22 Worldviews →

Canonical Books & Scriptures

Meditations • Man's Search for Meaning • The Prophet • Bhagavad Gita • I Ching (64 Hexagrams) • The Vedas & Upanishads