--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He liked to start sentences with okay…" description: "\"“He liked to start sentences with okay, so. It was a habit he had picked up from the engineers. He thought it made him sound smarter, thought it made h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/charles-yu-3807_data-structures_he-liked-to-start-sentences-with-okay-so_3208224.jpg" --- # He liked to start sentences with okay, so. It was a habit… ![“He liked to start sentences with okay, so. It was a habit he had picked up from the engineers. He thought it made him sound smarter, thought it made him sound like them, those code jockeys, standing by the coffee machine, talking faster than he could think, talking not so much in sentences as in…” quote by Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/charles-yu-3807_data-structures_he-liked-to-start-sentences-with-okay-so_3208224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/charles-yu-3807_data-structures_he-liked-to-start-sentences-with-okay-so_3208224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b2d/charles-yu-3807_data-structures_he-liked-to-start-sentences-with-okay-so_3208224.jpg) > ““He liked to start sentences with okay, so. It was a habit he had picked up from the engineers. He thought it made him sound smarter, thought it made him sound like them, those code jockeys, standing by the coffee machine, talking faster than he could think, talking not so much in sentences as in data structures, dense clumps of logic with the occasional inside joke. He liked to stand near them, pretending to stir sugar into his coffee, listening in on them as if they were speaking a different language. A language of knowing something, a language of being an expert at something. A language of being something more than an hourly unit.”” [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator mimics engineers’ speech to feel competent and belong, using jargon and habits to mask insecurity about his own value. **In simple terms:** He copies engineers’ talk to seem smarter and fit in. Key Takeaway Adopt authentic communication, not imitation. Themes identity belonging language insecurity workplace Mood reflective critical contemplative Type observational literary character study When to use this quote - team meetings - coffee breaks - coding sessions - networking events Key Concepts performance social mimicry self‑presentation Questions to Reflect On - Do you change your speech to fit in? - What costs arise from masking true self? A Different Perspective Imitation may deepen alienation rather than genuine connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Data structures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data-structures/) [Developers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/developers/) [Engineers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineers/) [Expertise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expertise/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Logic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/logic/) ## Related quotes > [The art of translation lies less in knowing the other language than in knowing your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-rorem/the-art-of-translation-lies-less-in-knowing-the-other-language-than/) [Ned Rorem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-rorem/) > [“This is the difficulty with learning a language: not always knowing if words contain more than they say.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-barfoot/this-is-the-difficulty-with-learning-a-language-not-always-knowing-if/) Joan Barfoot > [Knowing that language has done so much, we want to believe that it can do everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-donoghue/knowing-that-language-has-done-so-much-we-want-to-believe-that-it-can/) [Denis Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-donoghue/) > [Never underestimate the value of knowing another's language. It can be far more powerful than swords and arrows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/never-underestimate-the-value-of-knowing-another-s-language-it-can-be/) [Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/) > [“He insisted that it was impossible to understand a single word of the Book of Nature without knowing the language of mathematics.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/he-insisted-that-it-was-impossible-to-understand-a-single-word-of-the/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [I'm pretty good with languages. I know a bit of French and actually want to live in France some day so that I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/i-m-pretty-good-with-languages-i-know-a-bit-of-french-and-actually/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [“Compassion is what you're good at. I'm better at complex searches through organized data structures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/compassion-is-what-you-re-good-at-i-m-better-at-complex-searches/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“A distinctive property of functional data structures is that they are always persistent—updating a functional data structure does not destroy the existing version, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-okasaki/a-distinctive-property-of-functional-data-structures-is-that-they-are/) Chris Okasaki > [The programmer's primary weapon in the never-ending battle against slow system is to change the intramodular structure. 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So you have a pointer into a data structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gosling/in-c-there-are-no-data-structures-there-are-pointers-and-pointer/) [James Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gosling/) > [“Other than when dealing with exception-unsafe legacy code (which we'll discuss later in this Item), offering no exception safety guarantee should be an option…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-meyers/other-than-when-dealing-with-exception-unsafe-legacy-code-which-we-ll/) [Scott Meyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-meyers/) > [I will, in fact, claim that the difference between a bad programmer and a good one is whether he considers his code or his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/i-will-in-fact-claim-that-the-difference-between-a-bad-programmer-and/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) > [It is better to have 100 functions operate on one data structure than to have 10 functions operate on 10 data structures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/it-is-better-to-have-100-functions-operate-on-one-data-structure-than/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [ “Database Management System \[Origin: Data + Latin basus "low, mean, vile, menial, degrading, ounterfeit."\] A complex set of interrelational data structures allowing data to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/database-management-system-origin-data-latin-basus-low-mean-vile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Charles Yu > [“Probably it goes without saying, but time machine guys don't get a lot of action. Had a one night stand with something cute a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/probably-it-goes-without-saying-but-time-machine-guys-don-t-get-a-lot/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [“Maybe I'd absorbed the capacity to hurt someone by listening to my parents every night, who were under the impression that turning the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/maybe-i-d-absorbed-the-capacity-to-hurt-someone-by-listening-to-my/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [“A life is about twenty-five thousand days, and a finding occurs about once every twenty-five thousand days. In other news, once in a lifetime.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/a-life-is-about-twenty-five-thousand-days-and-a-finding-occurs-about/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [“We don't need the Good Life. 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It probably doesn't even make sense. But for once in your life, please, I am asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/i-know-none-of-this-seems-very-believable-it-probably-doesn-t-even/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [“My father makes to-do lists, makes plans, makes business plans. This is how he starts, always with a blank sheet of graph paper.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/my-father-makes-to-do-lists-makes-plans-makes-business-plans-this-is/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [“It’s hard to have a relationship in this world. Other people are not the same from day to day. I might wake up next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-yu/it-s-hard-to-have-a-relationship-in-this-world-other-people-are-not/) [Charles Yu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-yu/) > [Everyone has a time machine. Everyone \*is\* a time machine. It's just that most people's time machines are broken. 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So you have a pointer into a data structure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gosling/in-c-there-are-no-data-structures-there-are-pointers-and-pointer/) [James Gosling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gosling/) > [Smart data structures and dumb code works a lot better than the other way around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/smart-data-structures-and-dumb-code-works-a-lot-better-than-the-other/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [The programmer's primary weapon in the never-ending battle against slow system is to change the intramodular structure. Our first response should be to reorganize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-brooks/the-programmer-s-primary-weapon-in-the-never-ending-battle-against/) [Fred Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-brooks/) > [“A distinctive property of functional data structures is that they are always persistent—updating a functional data structure does not destroy the existing version, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-okasaki/a-distinctive-property-of-functional-data-structures-is-that-they-are/) Chris Okasaki > [“Compassion is what you're good at. I'm better at complex searches through organized data structures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/compassion-is-what-you-re-good-at-i-m-better-at-complex-searches/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“It is better to have 100 functions operate on one data structure than 10 functions on 10 data structures.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-j-perlis/it-is-better-to-have-100-functions-operate-on-one-data-structure-than-2/) [Alan J. Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-j-perlis/) > [Generally, the craft of programming is the factoring of a set of requirements into a a set of functions and data structures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-crockford/generally-the-craft-of-programming-is-the-factoring-of-a-set-of/) [Douglas Crockford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-crockford/) > [“Services interact with their peers strictly through APIs and thus don’t share data structures, database schemata, or other internal representations of objects. Bounded”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/services-interact-with-their-peers-strictly-through-apis-and-thus-don/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [A data structure is just a stupid programming language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gosper/a-data-structure-is-just-a-stupid-programming-language/) Bill Gosper > [It's easy to make mistakes that only come out much later, after you've already implemented a lot of code. You'll realize Oh I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guido-van-rossum/it-s-easy-to-make-mistakes-that-only-come-out-much-later-after-you-ve/) [Guido van Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guido-van-rossum/) > [Bad programmers worry about the code. Good programmers worry about data structures and their relationships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linus-torvalds/bad-programmers-worry-about-the-code-good-programmers-worry-about/) [Linus Torvalds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linus-torvalds/) [Browse all 17 Data structures quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data-structures/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He liked to start sentences with okay, so. It was a habit he had picked up from the engineers. 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