Tom DeMarco Quotes

Networks, especially, micro-manage everything to death.

We don't over-manage projects like the studios do.

I've been very hands-on with everything I've done since I had my children. And it's just really important for me to understand the big picture, where everybody's coming from, what's the real purpose of this shoot and this song, or whatever it is in that moment that I'm doing.

I don't like having too many projects in the pipeline. I like to focus on what's at hand.

One can't dull a project better than by discussing it repeatedly.

There's always a project around, but you have to pick and choose.

It must not be forgotten that it is especially dangerous to enslave men in the minor details of life.

I may have had many projects, but I never was free to carry out any of them.

The first thing you have to do is get immersed in the project, organizing yourself, knowing what you are going after and not going after.

I am not a finisher, I am a starter. And I am always thinking, what is the next project.

Put all your eggs in one basket and then watch that basket.

Someday you're going to have to learn to separate what seems to be important from what really is important.

To me, pre-match preparation is extremely important because that's something which is within my control.

Beware of dissipating your powers; strive constantly to concentrate them.

Everybody shut up. Let us work.

Some lives drift here and there like reeds in a stream, depending on changing currents for their activity. Others are like swimmers knowing the depth of the water. Each stroke helps them onward to a definite objective.

Plan your work and work your plan. Decide in advance exactly how you are going to get from where you are to where you want to go.

I'm not someone who works a lot, and what I mean by that is that I have a project and I focus on it, and I don't spread myself too thin. I try to give as much as I can to that project, and if we have a lot of time, that's amazing for me, because I like to really dive deep and do as much as I can.

We're so structured and micromanaged, this isn't a world anymore, it's a damn cruise ship.

Think only on the climb. Think on what you control

Strive for excellence in few things, rather than good performance in many.

Trying to apply formal methods to all software projects is just as bad as trying to apply code-and-fix development to all projects.

What has benefited me the most is learning I can't control what happens outside of my pitching.

Any time we have projects that we haven't begun or completed, they drain energy.