Edsger W. Dijkstra Quotes

About the use of language: it is impossible to sharpen a pencil with a blunt axe. It is equally vain to try to do it with ten blunt axes instead. — Edsger Dijkstra

Object-oriented programming is an exceptionally bad idea which could only have originated in California. — Edsger Dijkstra

Beware of "the real world". A speaker's apeal to it is always an invitation not to challenge his tacit assumptions. — Edsger Dijkstra

It used to be the program's purpose to instruct our computers; it became the computer's purpose to execute our programs. — Edsger Dijkstra

I don't know how many of you have ever met Dijkstra, but you probably know that arrogance in computer science is measured in nano-Dijkstras. — Alan Kay

The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

Mathematicians are like managers - they want improvement without change. — Edsger Dijkstra

The effective exploitation of his powers of abstraction must be regarded as one of the most vital activities of a competent programmer. — Edsger Dijkstra

Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes — Edsger W. Dijkstra

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

Brainpower is by far our scarcest resource. — Edsger Dijkstra

The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise. — Edsger Dijkstra

It is not the task of the University to offer what society asks for, but to give what society needs. — Edsger Dijkstra

I don't need to waste my time with a computer just because I am a computer scientist. — Edsger Dijkstra

Thank goodness we don't have only serious problems, but ridiculous ones as well. — Edsger Dijkstra

The use of COBOL cripples the mind; its teaching should, therefore, be regarded as a criminal offense. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

The tools we use have a profound and devious influence on our thinking habits, and therefore on our thinking abilities. — Edsger Dijkstra

We must be very careful when we give advice to younger people: sometimes they follow it! — Edsger Dijkstra

In the software business there are many enterprises for which it is not clear that science can help them; that science should try is not clear either. — Edsger Dijkstra

The ability of discerning high quality unavoidably implies the ability of identifying shortcomings. — Edsger Dijkstra

There should be no such thing as boring mathematics. — Edsger Dijkstra

Beauty is our business. — Edsger Dijkstra

Computer science has as much to do with computers as astronomy has to do with telescopes. — Edsger Dijkstra

The problems of the real world are primarily those you are left with when you refuse to apply their effective solutions. — Edsger Dijkstra

Teaching to unsuspecting youngsters the effective use of formal methods is one of the joys of life because it is so extremely rewarding. — Edsger Dijkstra

The lurking suspicion that something could be simplified is the world's richest source of rewarding challenges. — Edsger Dijkstra

Elegance is not a dispensable luxury but a factor that decides between success and failure. — Edsger Dijkstra

Experience does by no means automatically leads to wisdom and understanding. — Edsger Dijkstra

Too few people recognize that the high technology so celebrated today is essentially a mathematical technology. — Edsger Dijkstra

Don't compete with me: firstly, I have more experience, and secondly, I have chosen the weapons. — Edsger Dijkstra

Program testing can be used to show the presence of bugs, but never to show their absence! — Edsger W. Dijkstra

Progress is possible only if we train ourselves to think about programs without thinking of them as pieces of executable code. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

The computing scientist's main challenge is not to get confused by the complexities of his own making. — Edsger Dijkstra

Probably I am very naive, but I also think I prefer to remain so, at least for the time being and perhaps for the rest of my life. — Edsger Dijkstra

The prisoner falls in love with his chains. — Edsger Dijkstra

Aim for brevity while avoiding jargon. — Edsger Dijkstra

Perfecting oneself is as much unlearning as it is learning. — Edsger Dijkstra

Teaching COBOL ought to be regarded as a criminal act. — Edsger Dijkstra

A programming language is a tool that has profound influence on our thinking habits. — Edsger Dijkstra

I would therefore like to posit that computing's central challenge, how not to make a mess of it, has not yet been met. — Edsger Dijkstra

If there is one 'scientific' discovery I am proud of, it is the discovery of the habit of writing without publication in mind. — Edsger Dijkstra

Simplicity and elegance are unpopular because thy require hard work and discipline to achieve and education to be appreciated. — Edsger W. Dijkstra

The question of whether computers can think is like the question of whether submarines can swim. — Edsger Dijkstra

If debugging is the process of removing software bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in. — Edsger Dijkstra

Much of the excitement we get out of our work is that we don't really know what we are doing. — Edsger Dijkstra

Mentally mutilated potential programmers beyond hope of regeneration. — Edsger Dijkstra

PL/1, the fatal disease, belongs more to the problem set than to the solution set. — Edsger Dijkstra