An initial underscore already conveys strong feelings of magicalness to a C programmer.

Younger hackers are hard to classify. They're probably just as diverse as the old hackers are. We're all over the map.

At many levels, Perl is a 'diagonal' language.

Most of you are familiar with the virtues of a programmer. There are three, of course: laziness, impatience, and hubris.

For me, writing is a love-hate relationship.

Portability should be the default.

I think software patents are a bad idea. Many patents are given for trivial inventions.

Symmetry is overrated. Overrated is symmetry.

The Harvard Law states: Under controlled conditions of light, temperature, humidity, and nutrition, the organism will do as it damn well pleases.

Over the long term, symbiosis is more useful than parasitism. More fun, too. Ask any mitochondria.

Hubris itself will not let you be an artist.

I want my kids to enjoy romance as part of the entirety of marriage, when it has been earned with commitment and hard work.

Style means no shield at all. Style means no front at all. Style means ultimate naturalness. Style means one man alone with billions of men about.

Nobody thinks that there were never mechanical horses in the world. Everybody knows that there aren't really golems.

A good reputation is measured by how much you can improve the lives of others.

The age of the book is almost gone.

By weaker accents, what's your praise When Philomel her voice doth raise?

To be granted some kind of usable talent and to be able to use it to the fullest extent of which you are capable - this, to me, is a kind of joy that is almost unequaled.

We have believed for many years, much earlier than anyone else was talking about this issue, that it was in the interest of China to evolve to a more flexible exchange rate system.

Before people crow about the absence of weapons of mass destruction, I suggest they wait a bit.

This youthful heart can love you and give you what you need, but I'm too old to go chasing you around wasting my precious energy.