76 Quotes by Alan Perlis

In English every word can be verbed. Would that it were so in our programming languages.

A picture is worth 10K words - but only those to describe the picture. Hardly any sets of 10K words can be adequately described with pictures.

A programming language is low level when its programs require attention to the irrelevant.

Some programming languages manage to absorb change, but withstand progress.

If a listener nods his head when you're explaining your program, wake him up.

The best book on programming for the layman is 'Alice in Wonderland'; but that's because it's the best book on anything for the layman.

There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.

You can measure a programmer's perspective by noting his attitude on the continuing vitality of FORTRAN.

Is it possible that software is not like anything else, that it is meant to be discarded: that the whole point is to always see it as a soap bubble?