--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beauty is our business." description: "\"Beauty is our business.\" — Edsger Dijkstra" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/edsger-dijkstra-5102_beauty_beauty-is-our-business-2713044_2713044.png" --- # Beauty is our business. ![“Beauty is our business.” quote by Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/edsger-dijkstra-5102_beauty_beauty-is-our-business-2713044_2713044.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/edsger-dijkstra-5102_beauty_beauty-is-our-business-2713044_2713044.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/edsger-dijkstra-5102_beauty_beauty-is-our-business-2713044_2713044.png) > “Beauty is our business.” [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The field of computing should prioritize elegance and clarity, as beauty is essential to its practice. **In simple terms:** Computing should be beautiful and clear. Key Takeaway Design software with elegance and clarity. Themes technology design aesthetics engineering Mood inspirational analytical Type philosophical technical When to use this quote - coding standards - UI design - system architecture - peer reviews Key Concepts beauty in code software craftsmanship Questions to Reflect On - How does aesthetic affect functionality? - Can beauty be measured in code? A Different Perspective Pursuing beauty may conflict with deadlines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Beauty Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty-business-498664/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) ## Related quotes > [To devote yourself to the creation and enjoyment of beauty, then, can be a serious business-not always necessarily a means of escaping reality, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/to-devote-yourself-to-the-creation-and-enjoyment-of-beauty-then-can/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [In the mid-nineties, diversity in the fashion/beauty business was hard to come by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-bryant/in-the-mid-nineties-diversity-in-the-fashion-beauty-business-was-hard/) [Joy Bryant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joy-bryant/) > [“A writer in early 1930, boosting the beauty business, started off a magazine article with the sentence: "The average American woman has sixteen square…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-writer-in-early-1930-boosting-the-beauty-business-started-off-a/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [The one thing in life you can control is your effort. Are there any shortcuts in the beauty business? No. That was the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/the-one-thing-in-life-you-can-control-is-your-effort-are-there-any/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [I'm not in the fashion business; I'm in the beauty business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolina-herrera/i-m-not-in-the-fashion-business-i-m-in-the-beauty-business/) [Carolina Herrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolina-herrera/) > [We're in the media business. We're in the beauty business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-johnson-rice/we-re-in-the-media-business-we-re-in-the-beauty-business/) [Linda Johnson Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-johnson-rice/) > [“That's the beauty about this business. You don't have to know anything; you just have to know where to find out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/that-s-the-beauty-about-this-business-you-don-t-have-to-know-anything/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [There's a beauty of show business. It's the only business you can have a career in when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-a-beauty-of-show-business-it-s-the-only-business-you-can-have/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/please-don-t-fall-into-the-trap-of-believing-that-i-am-terribly/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/in-the-good-old-days-physicists-repeated-each-other-s-experiments/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [The computing scientist's main challenge is not to get confused by the complexities of his own making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/the-computing-scientist-s-main-challenge-is-not-to-get-confused-by/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [The beauty of darkness is how it lets you see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-rich/the-beauty-of-darkness-is-how-it-lets-you-see/) [Adrienne Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-rich/) > [If I were in this business only for the business, I wouldn't be in this business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-goldwyn/if-i-were-in-this-business-only-for-the-business-i-wouldn-t-be-in/) [Samuel Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-goldwyn/) > [Because Techstars is an intensely productive three-month program in which product development and iteration are primary goals, we're constantly looking to streamline our program…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cohen/because-techstars-is-an-intensely-productive-three-month-program-in/) [David Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cohen/) > [HBO is the original subscription video-on-demand company. We were repurposing first-run movies, and then we added original programming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bewkes/hbo-is-the-original-subscription-video-on-demand-company-we-were/) [Jeff Bewkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bewkes/) ## More by Edsger Dijkstra > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/production-speed-is-severely-slowed-down-if-one-works-with-half-time/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [The computing scientist's main challenge is not to get confused by the complexities of his own making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/the-computing-scientist-s-main-challenge-is-not-to-get-confused-by/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Probably I am very naive, but I also think I prefer to remain so, at least for the time being and perhaps for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/probably-i-am-very-naive-but-i-also-think-i-prefer-to-remain-so-at/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/in-the-good-old-days-physicists-repeated-each-other-s-experiments/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Don't compete with me: firstly, I have more experience, and secondly, I have chosen the weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/don-t-compete-with-me-firstly-i-have-more-experience-and-secondly-i/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/computer-science-is-no-more-about-computers-than-astronomy-is-about/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [The use of anthropomorphic terminology forces you linguistically to adopt an operational view. And it makes it practically impossible to argue about programs independently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/the-use-of-anthropomorphic-terminology-forces-you-linguistically-to/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Teaching to unsuspecting youngsters the effective use of formal methods is one of the joys of life because it is so extremely rewarding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/teaching-to-unsuspecting-youngsters-the-effective-use-of-formal/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [ 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… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/please-don-t-fall-into-the-trap-of-believing-that-i-am-terribly/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Brainpower is by far our scarcest resource.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/brainpower-is-by-far-our-scarcest-resource/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Programming in Basic causes brain damage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/programming-in-basic-causes-brain-damage/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [Several people have told me that my inability to suffer fools gladly is one of my main weaknesses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/several-people-have-told-me-that-my-inability-to-suffer-fools-gladly/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [I now have had my foggy crystal ball for quite a long time. Its predictions are invariably gloomy and usually correct, but I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/i-now-have-had-my-foggy-crystal-ball-for-quite-a-long-time-its/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [In this respect a program is like a poem: you cannot write a poem without writing it. Yet people talk about programming as if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/in-this-respect-a-program-is-like-a-poem-you-cannot-write-a-poem/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) > [About the use of language: it is impossible to sharpen a pencil with a blunt axe. It is equally vain to try to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/about-the-use-of-language-it-is-impossible-to-sharpen-a-pencil-with-a/) [Edsger Dijkstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) [Explore all 103 Edsger Dijkstra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/) ## More Beauty quotes > [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/) [Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/) [Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/) [Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/) > [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/) [Tumblr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tumblr/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/) [Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/) > [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/) [Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/) [Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Beauty is our business.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edsger Dijkstra" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/beauty-is-our-business/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beauty" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/beauty-is-our-business/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/edsger-dijkstra-5102_beauty_beauty-is-our-business-2713044_2713044.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/edsger-dijkstra-5102_beauty_beauty-is-our-business-2713044_2713044.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/557/edsger-dijkstra-5102_beauty_beauty-is-our-business-2713044_2713044.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Beauty is our business.” — Edsger Dijkstra", "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": "Edsger Dijkstra", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edsger-dijkstra/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Beauty is our business.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/beauty-is-our-business/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edsger-dijkstra/beauty-is-our-business/#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 } } ] } ```