--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: 90% of the functionality delivered now is…" description: "\"90% of the functionality delivered now is better than 100% delivered never.\" — Brian Kernighan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/brian-kernighan-27197_functionality_90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is_2276873.png" --- # 90% of the functionality delivered now is better than 100%… ![“90% of the functionality delivered now is better than 100% delivered never.” quote by Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/brian-kernighan-27197_functionality_90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is_2276873.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/brian-kernighan-27197_functionality_90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is_2276873.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/brian-kernighan-27197_functionality_90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is_2276873.png) > “90% of the functionality delivered now is better than 100% delivered never.” [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Partial, functional delivery is better than perfect but absent output. **In simple terms:** Partial delivery beats none. Key Takeaway Aim for usable progress, not perfection. Themes productivity pragmatism iteration Mood practical motivational Type business technical When to use this quote - software development - project management - product launches - agile sprints Key Concepts Minimum viable product incremental improvement Questions to Reflect On - What can you ship today? - How do you define “good enough”? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can delay valuable releases. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“It’s hard to be 100% better than your competition, but you can be 1% better in 100 ways.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-melman/it-s-hard-to-be-100-better-than-your-competition-but-you-can-be-1/) Rich Melman > [“1 Book Is Better then 100 Friends”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anand/1-book-is-better-then-100-friends/) Anand > [I consider 100 wins to be better than 100 defeats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joachim-low/i-consider-100-wins-to-be-better-than-100-defeats/) [Joachim Low](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joachim-low/) > [Quality doesn't mean we have to be 100 percent better in any one thing; it means we strive to be 1 percent better in 100 things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-carlzon/quality-doesn-t-mean-we-have-to-be-100-percent-better-in-any-one/) [Jan Carlzon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-carlzon/) > [It's better to have 100 people love you than to have 1,000,000 people like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-chesky/it-s-better-to-have-100-people-love-you-than-to-have-1-000-000-people/) [Brian Chesky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-chesky/) > [Technological advances have always been driven more by a mind-set of 'I can' than 'I should' Technologists love to cram maximum functionality into their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maeda/technological-advances-have-always-been-driven-more-by-a-mind-set-of/) [John Maeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maeda/) > [This 'users are idiots, and are confused by functionality' mentality of Gnome is a disease. If you think your users are idiots, only idiots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/this-users-are-idiots-and-are-confused-by-functionality-mentality-of/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [Google is in a position where it doesn't even have to strive to become a hip, conscious choice. Brands are temporary fads. Functionality is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/google-is-in-a-position-where-it-doesn-t-even-have-to-strive-to/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [This project started nearly twenty years ago as an assignment in my typography class at art school. Students were encouraged to see letters beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ji-lee/this-project-started-nearly-twenty-years-ago-as-an-assignment-in-my/) [Ji Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ji-lee/) > [“Functionality still matters, of course. But competition has pushed quality so high and prices so low that many manufacturers can no longer distinguish themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/functionality-still-matters-of-course-but-competition-has-pushed/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [Our ultimate goal is extensible programming. By this, we mean the construction of hierarchies of modules, each module adding new functionality to the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklaus-wirth/our-ultimate-goal-is-extensible-programming-by-this-we-mean-the/) [Niklaus Wirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklaus-wirth/) > [When I was little, I just was very tuned in to the functionality and aesthetics of things around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/when-i-was-little-i-just-was-very-tuned-in-to-the-functionality-and/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [I'm not looking to step in and make 'big, bold changes' - I think reddit is great, and the team has a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yishan-wong/i-m-not-looking-to-step-in-and-make-big-bold-changes-i-think-reddit/) [Yishan Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yishan-wong/) > [I like modern efficiencies and functionality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-scott/i-like-modern-efficiencies-and-functionality/) [Drew Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-scott/) > [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) ## More by Brian Kernighan > [Get the weirdnesses into the data where you can manipulate them easily, and the regularity into the code because regular code is a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/get-the-weirdnesses-into-the-data-where-you-can-manipulate-them/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [Trying to outsmart a compiler defeats much of the purpose of using one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/trying-to-outsmart-a-compiler-defeats-much-of-the-purpose-of-using-one/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [An effective way to test code is to exercise it at its natural boundaries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/an-effective-way-to-test-code-is-to-exercise-it-at-its-natural/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [As we said in the preface to the first edition, C "wears well as one's experience with it grows." With a decade more experience,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/as-we-said-in-the-preface-to-the-first-edition-c-wears-well-as-one-s/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [Trivia rarely affect efficiency. Are all the machinations worth it, when their primary effect is to make the code less readable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/trivia-rarely-affect-efficiency-are-all-the-machinations-worth-it/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [If you had done something twice, you are likely to do it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/if-you-had-done-something-twice-you-are-likely-to-do-it-again/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [C is a razor-sharp tool, with which one can create an elegant and efficient program or a bloody mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/c-is-a-razor-sharp-tool-with-which-one-can-create-an-elegant-and/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [Believe the terrain, not the map](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/believe-the-terrain-not-the-map/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [Mechanical rules are never a substitute for clarity of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/mechanical-rules-are-never-a-substitute-for-clarity-of-thought/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [Don't document bad code - rewrite it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/don-t-document-bad-code-rewrite-it/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/debugging-is-twice-as-hard-as-writing-the-code-in-the-first-place/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [“Everyone knows that debugging is twice as hard as writing a program in the first place. So if you're as clever as you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/everyone-knows-that-debugging-is-twice-as-hard-as-writing-a-program/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [ Another effective \[debugging\] technique is to explain your code to someone else. This will often cause you to explain the bug to yourself. Sometimes… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/another-effective-debugging-technique-is-to-explain-your-code-to/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [... it is a fundamental principle of testing that you must know in advance the answer each test case is supposed to produce. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/it-is-a-fundamental-principle-of-testing-that-you-must-know-in/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) > [Do what you think is interesting, do something that you think is fun and worthwhile, because otherwise you won't do it well anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/do-what-you-think-is-interesting-do-something-that-you-think-is-fun/) [Brian Kernighan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) [Explore all 21 Brian Kernighan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/) ## More Functionality quotes > [It's not so much about form versus functionality. Rather, it's about doing both and doing them a lot and doing them well-and that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-prince-ramus/it-s-not-so-much-about-form-versus-functionality-rather-it-s-about/) [Joshua Prince-Ramus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-prince-ramus/) > [I like modern efficiencies and functionality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-scott/i-like-modern-efficiencies-and-functionality/) [Drew Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-scott/) > [I'm not looking to step in and make 'big, bold changes' - I think reddit is great, and the team has a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yishan-wong/i-m-not-looking-to-step-in-and-make-big-bold-changes-i-think-reddit/) [Yishan Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yishan-wong/) > [When I was little, I just was very tuned in to the functionality and aesthetics of things around me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-heatherwick/when-i-was-little-i-just-was-very-tuned-in-to-the-functionality-and/) [Thomas Heatherwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-heatherwick/) > [Our ultimate goal is extensible programming. By this, we mean the construction of hierarchies of modules, each module adding new functionality to the system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklaus-wirth/our-ultimate-goal-is-extensible-programming-by-this-we-mean-the/) [Niklaus Wirth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklaus-wirth/) > [“Functionality still matters, of course. But competition has pushed quality so high and prices so low that many manufacturers can no longer distinguish themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-postrel/functionality-still-matters-of-course-but-competition-has-pushed/) [Virginia Postrel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-postrel/) > [This project started nearly twenty years ago as an assignment in my typography class at art school. Students were encouraged to see letters beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ji-lee/this-project-started-nearly-twenty-years-ago-as-an-assignment-in-my/) [Ji Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ji-lee/) > [Google is in a position where it doesn't even have to strive to become a hip, conscious choice. Brands are temporary fads. Functionality is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/google-is-in-a-position-where-it-doesn-t-even-have-to-strive-to/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [This 'users are idiots, and are confused by functionality' mentality of Gnome is a disease. If you think your users are idiots, only idiots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/this-users-are-idiots-and-are-confused-by-functionality-mentality-of/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [Technological advances have always been driven more by a mind-set of 'I can' than 'I should' Technologists love to cram maximum functionality into their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-maeda/technological-advances-have-always-been-driven-more-by-a-mind-set-of/) [John Maeda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-maeda/) > [I think we are in this era right now where every element in a webpage is rendered to within an inch of its life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khoi-vinh/i-think-we-are-in-this-era-right-now-where-every-element-in-a-webpage/) [Khoi Vinh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khoi-vinh/) > [Technically I can get out of my wheelchair and crawl around and do things, but when I've traveled and they've lost my wheelchair in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-anner/technically-i-can-get-out-of-my-wheelchair-and-crawl-around-and-do/) [Zach Anner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-anner/) > [Sick is a relative concept. We're all sick. The question is, what degree of functionality do we have with respect to the rules society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sick-is-a-relative-concept-we-re-all-sick-the-question-is-what-degree/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The research shows that if you meditate, the mind becomes still, and they can see the functionality and gray matter in the brain increase,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/the-research-shows-that-if-you-meditate-the-mind-becomes-still-and/) [Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/) > [Customers want new functionality, but they don't want the traditional complexity that has marred products in the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/customers-want-new-functionality-but-they-don-t-want-the-traditional/) [Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/) Browse all 54 Functionality quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "90% of the functionality delivered now is better than 100% delivered never.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brian Kernighan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is-better-than-100-delivered/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Functionality" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is-better-than-100-delivered/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/brian-kernighan-27197_functionality_90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is_2276873.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/brian-kernighan-27197_functionality_90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is_2276873.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4a/brian-kernighan-27197_functionality_90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is_2276873.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“90% of the functionality delivered now is better than 100% delivered never.” — Brian Kernighan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Brian Kernighan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-kernighan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "90% of the functionality delivered now...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is-better-than-100-delivered/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-kernighan/90-of-the-functionality-delivered-now-is-better-than-100-delivered/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```