A programming language is a tool that has profound influence on our thinking habits. — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share Image
About the use of language: it is impossible to sharpen a pencil with a blunt axe. It is equally vain to try… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share Image
APL is a mistake, carried through to perfection. It is the language of the future for the programming techniques of the past:… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share Image
Are you quite sure that all those bells and whistles, all those wonderful facilities of your so called powerful programming languages, belong… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share Image
The use of anthropomorphic terminology forces you linguistically to adopt an operational view. And it makes it practically impossible to argue about… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share Image
A most important, but also most elusive, aspect of any tool is its influence on the habits of those who train themselves… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share Image
We shall do a much better programming job, provided that we approach the task with a full appreciation of its tremendous difficulty,… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share Image
In passing I draw attention to another English expression which often occurs in Dutch texts: "the real world". In Dutch - and… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share Image
So-called "natural language" is wonderful for the purposes it was created for, such as to be rude in, to tell jokes in,… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share Image
Production speed is severely slowed down if one works with half-time people who have other obligations as well. This is at least a factor… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
The computing scientist's main challenge is not to get confused by the complexities of his own making. — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
Probably I am very naive, but I also think I prefer to remain so, at least for the time being and perhaps for the… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
In the good old days physicists repeated each other's experiments, just to be sure. Today they stick to FORTRAN, so that they can share… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
Don't compete with me: firstly, I have more experience, and secondly, I have chosen the weapons. — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes. — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
The use of anthropomorphic terminology forces you linguistically to adopt an operational view. And it makes it practically impossible to argue about programs independently… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
Teaching to unsuspecting youngsters the effective use of formal methods is one of the joys of life because it is so extremely rewarding. — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
Please don't fall into the trap of believing that I am terribly dogmatical about [the goto statement]. I have the uncomfortable feeling that others… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
Several people have told me that my inability to suffer fools gladly is one of my main weaknesses. — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
I now have had my foggy crystal ball for quite a long time. Its predictions are invariably gloomy and usually correct, but I am… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
In this respect a program is like a poem: you cannot write a poem without writing it. Yet people talk about programming as if… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
About the use of language: it is impossible to sharpen a pencil with a blunt axe. It is equally vain to try to do… — Edsger Dijkstra Copy Share
