Larry Wall Quotes

Good code is its own best documentation. As you're about to add a comment, ask yourself, "How can I improve the code so that this comment isn't needed?" Improve the code and then document it to make it even clearer.

Programs should be written and polished until they acquire publication quality.

The mark of a mature programmer is willingness to throw out code you spent time on when you realize it's pointless.

Often in writing programs, articulation and clarity are more important than what you actually say.

Even if you aren't in doubt, consider the mental welfare of the person who has to maintain the code after you, and who will probably put parens in the wrong place.

If you want more effective programmers, you will discover that they should not waste their time debugging, they should not introduce the bugs to start with.

Good visual layout shows the logical structure of a program.

Good code is its own best documentation.

I don't want to get into an argument with somebody about how they ought to vote.

If I can’t be personal, I don’t want to argue,” said his hostess categorically. “I may be missing your points, but you’re much too busy dodging mine.

I stare at her. I've always known that it's impossible to argue with Belinda, not because she's particularly good at it, but because she's so bad at it- that there is no common ground to work from. She simply sees the world she wants to see it and no amount of logic can change her mind.

I want the tigard. (Varyk) And I want you to leave. Guess who’s going to win this argument? And in case you’re even denser than you appear, it’s not you. (Dev)

I want my arguments to be good arguments on the basis of what I actually have to say.

Programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.

The left want to get rid of all opposition. They don't want to debate the opposition. They don't want to argue. They just don't want there to be any.

When you write a program, think of it primarily as a work of literature. You're trying to write something that human beings are going to read. Don't think of it primarily as something a computer is going to follow. The more effective you are at making your program readable, the more effective it's going to be: You'll understand it today, you'll understand it next week, and your successors who are going to maintain and modify it will understand it.

August. We were arguing. You want love to be like this every day don't you? 92 degrees even in the shade.

Dale: "No, no--curse it, Beka, you're the prickliest woman I've ever met!" Goodwin: "No, I am. But she comes very close, I have to say." — Dale Rowan and Clara Goodwin when Beka didn't want to accept money for being Dale's "luck

Ironically no one ever wants to hear what I have to say about anything. They usually argue with me to the point I want to put them through a wall. Hopefully you won’t be so dense. (Acheron)

If you want to stop an argument, close your mouth.

All the PHP code I've seen in that experience has been messy, unmaintainable crap. Spaghetti SQL wrapped in spaghetti PHP wrapped in spaghetti HTML, replicated in slightly-varying form in dozens of places.

I want to make the programs very strong.

Procedure names should reflect what they do; function names should reflect what they return

Heat is in proportion to the want of true knowledge.

You really don’t want to take that tone with me. (Varyk) Well, I do have several others we can choose from. Contemptuous. Angry. Snide. Aggravated. How about I just settle on extreme sarcasm and we call it even? (Dev)