“Don't be a slave to history. Don't let existing code dictate future code. All code can be replaced if it is no longer appropriate. Even within one program, don't let what you've already done constrain what you do next -- be ready to refactor... This decision may impact the project schedule. The assumption is that the impact will be less than the cost of /not/ making the change.”

“What on earth prompted you to take a hand in this?""I don't know. My… my code of morals, perhaps.""Your code of morals. What code, if I may ask?""Comprehension.”

“Don't you want to know what cookies is a code word for?" "No! Good God, no!”

“Object-oriented programming offers a sustainable way to write spaghetti code. It lets you accrete programs as a series of patches.”

“Code without tests is bad code. It doesn't matter how well written it is; it doesn't matter how pretty or object-oriented or well-encapsulated it is. With tests, we can change the behavior of our code quickly and verifiably. Without them, we really don't know if our code is getting better or worse.”

“We don't know how far the ripples of our decisions go. We kill one, and maybe save a thousand. That's the code of the Fraternity. That's what we believe in, and that's why we do it.”