Edsger Dijkstra Quotes

Defect-free software does not exist.

Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it.

There is a strong movement towards increased accountability for software developers and software development organizations.

My reply is: the software has no known bugs, therefore it has not been updated.

When someone builds a bridge, he uses engineers who have been certified as knowing what they are doing. Yet when someone builds you a software program, he has no similar certification, even though your safety may be just as dependent upon that software working as it is upon the bridge supporting your weight.

This will surprise some of your readers, but my primary interest is not with computer security. I am primarily interested in writing software that works as intended.

If I say I've got two versions of Word - that old one from 1982 that's perfect, with zero defects; or the new one that's got all this cool new stuff, but there might be a few bugs in it - people always want the new one. But I wouldn't want them to operate a plane I was on with software that happened to be the latest greatest release!

I think, fundamentally, open source does tend to be more stable software. It's the right way to do things.

I think it's a combination of technical and social factors that leads to all the defects in deployed software.

All software sucks.

The reality of most software development is that the consequences of failure are simply nonexistent.

Yet, I am convinced that there is a need for high quality software, and the time will come when it will be recognized that it is worth investing effort in its development and in using a careful, structured approach based on safe, structured languages.

When you develop software, the people who write the software, the developers are the key group but the testers also play an absolutely critical role. They're the ones who ah, write thousands and thousands of examples and make sure that it's going to work on all the different computers and printers and the different amounts of memory or networks that the software'11 be used in. That's a very hard job.

A leader is someone whose actions have the most profound consequences on other people's lives, for better or worse, sometime forever and ever.

A teacher says "I am sowing the seeds of revolution." At that time we cannot imagine how powerful the teacher is, but he certainly derives joy by fulfilling his duty.

I've said this before, and I say it again. Bagels can be an enormous power for good or for evil. It is up to us to decide how we will use them.

A King (as such) is not a great man. He has great power, but it is not his own.

I had been looking for leaders, but I realized that leadership is about being the first to act.

He hath no power that hath not power to use.

I was uncomfortable with smoking too much because a lot of young kids watch and I didn't want to make that cool.

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.

The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.

Did I help you to a fate you didn't want?

Not everyone is equipped to be a leader, but in a sense, everyone is a leader to someone, even though you're not equipped. I think parents are a leader to youngsters, teacher are leaders, coaches are leaders, businessmen are leaders.

Leadership is like parenting.