--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One of my most productive days was…" description: "\"One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000 lines of code.\" — Ken Thompson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/ken-thompson-15903_code_one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throw_342704.jpg" --- # One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000… ![“One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000 lines of code.” quote by Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/ken-thompson-15903_code_one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throw_342704.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/ken-thompson-15903_code_one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throw_342704.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a99/ken-thompson-15903_code_one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throw_342704.jpg) > “One of my most productive days was throwing away 1000 lines of code.” [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Eliminating unnecessary code can dramatically boost productivity and clarity. **In simple terms:** Removing excess code improves work. Key Takeaway Trim code to enhance efficiency. Themes productivity software development minimalism clarity Mood practical analytical Type advisory inspirational When to use this quote - software projects - team collaboration - personal workflow Key Concepts code refactoring lean programming Questions to Reflect On - Which parts of your code are truly essential? - How do you decide what to discard? A Different Perspective Over‑optimizing can remove needed features. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/code/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Productive Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productive-day/) [Productivity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/productivity/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Throwing away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/throwing-away/) ## Related quotes > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1,000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1-000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [“How do I have productive days with minimum drama? Simple; I mind my own business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/how-do-i-have-productive-days-with-minimum-drama-simple-i-mind-my-own/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Having children has made me incredibly efficient. It's hard to leave them in the mornings, but I'm extremely productive during the day, knowing I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivanka-trump/having-children-has-made-me-incredibly-efficient-it-s-hard-to-leave/) [Ivanka Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivanka-trump/) > [“Every little bit of stress you eliminate contributes to a more productive day. That’s not being a diva; it’s placing yourself in a situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilly-singh/every-little-bit-of-stress-you-eliminate-contributes-to-a-more/) [Lilly Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilly-singh/) > [In college, my idea of a productive day was to start writing at 7 A.M. and not leave my chair until dinnertime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-grant/in-college-my-idea-of-a-productive-day-was-to-start-writing-at-7-a-m/) [Adam Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-grant/) > [“I am focusing on all that is positive. I am experiencing an inner joy. I am embracing today and every day. I am looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-d-snyder/i-am-focusing-on-all-that-is-positive-i-am-experiencing-an-inner-joy/) [Peggy D. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-d-snyder/) > [“I am letting go of stress. I am living in the present moment. I am breathing easily and naturally. I am sleeping deeply and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-d-snyder/i-am-letting-go-of-stress-i-am-living-in-the-present-moment-i-am/) [Peggy D. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-d-snyder/) > [We can do things and not be the best. Maybe you were late to work but by god at least you got to work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-whitmore/we-can-do-things-and-not-be-the-best-maybe-you-were-late-to-work-but/) [Laura Whitmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-whitmore/) > [Yesterday, I was trying to do something productive with my day. I started off doing homework, which evolved into a stickman war in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-i-was-trying-to-do-something-productive-with-my-day-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have done nothing productive all day :D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/i-have-done-nothing-productive-all-day-d/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [If you have other things in your life-family, friends, good productive day work-these can interact with your writing and the sum will be all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brin/if-you-have-other-things-in-your-life-family-friends-good-productive/) [David Brin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brin/) > [Don't let petty people put poison on your prosperous and productive day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-let-petty-people-put-poison-on-your-prosperous-and-productive/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If there are so many successful public enterprises, why do we rarely hear about them? It is partly because of the nature of reporting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ha-joon-chang/if-there-are-so-many-successful-public-enterprises-why-do-we-rarely/) [Ha-Joon Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ha-joon-chang/) > [My counsel is, to force nothing, and rather to trifle and sleep away all unproductive days and hours, than on such days to compose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/my-counsel-is-to-force-nothing-and-rather-to-trifle-and-sleep-away/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I try to keep a steady pace with my writing. I have found that super-productive days are usually followed by two and even three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-spencer/i-try-to-keep-a-steady-pace-with-my-writing-i-have-found-that-super/) [Scott Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-spencer/) ## More by Ken Thompson > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1,000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1-000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [There's a lot of power in executing data - generating data and executing data.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/there-s-a-lot-of-power-in-executing-data-generating-data-and/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [One is that the perfect garden can be created overnight, which it can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-is-that-the-perfect-garden-can-be-created-overnight-which-it-can-t/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I am a programmer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-am-a-programmer/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [It's always good to take an orthogonal view of something. It develops ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/it-s-always-good-to-take-an-orthogonal-view-of-something-it-develops/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I view Linux as something that's not Microsoft - a backlash against Microsoft, no more and no less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-view-linux-as-something-that-s-not-microsoft-a-backlash-against/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [It is only the inadequacy of the criminal code that saves the hackers from very serious prosecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/it-is-only-the-inadequacy-of-the-criminal-code-that-saves-the-hackers/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I think the major good idea in Unix was its clean and simple interface: open, close, read, and write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-think-the-major-good-idea-in-unix-was-its-clean-and-simple/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [Grant, if we edited Fortran, I assume that you'd put a column thing in there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/grant-if-we-edited-fortran-i-assume-that-you-d-put-a-column-thing-in/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [If you want to go somewhere, goto is the best way to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/if-you-want-to-go-somewhere-goto-is-the-best-way-to-get-there/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I don't think there are many people up in research who have strong ideas about things that they haven't really had experience with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-don-t-think-there-are-many-people-up-in-research-who-have-strong/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [We tried to avoid, you know, records. We were told over and over that was probably the most serious mistake and the reason was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/we-tried-to-avoid-you-know-records-we-were-told-over-and-over-that/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [In fact, we started off with two or three different shells and the shell had life of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/in-fact-we-started-off-with-two-or-three-different-shells-and-the/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [The average gardener probably knows little about what is going on in his or her garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/the-average-gardener-probably-knows-little-about-what-is-going-on-in/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [I still have a full-time day job, which is why it took me five years to write An Ear to the Ground, and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/i-still-have-a-full-time-day-job-which-is-why-it-took-me-five-years/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) [Explore all 41 Ken Thompson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) ## More Code quotes > [At the deepest level, all living things that have ever been looked at have the same DNA code. And many of the same genes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/at-the-deepest-level-all-living-things-that-have-ever-been-looked-at/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [It is no secret that I have read 'The Da Vinci Code' several times. I genuinely believe that 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Angels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwin-sanghi/it-is-no-secret-that-i-have-read-the-da-vinci-code-several-times-i/) [Ashwin Sanghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwin-sanghi/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [One of my most productive days was throwing away 1,000 lines of code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-thompson/one-of-my-most-productive-days-was-throwing-away-1-000-lines-of-code/) [Ken Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-thompson/) > [Writing code means always having to say you're sorry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ford/writing-code-means-always-having-to-say-you-re-sorry/) [Paul Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ford/) > [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) > [I loved 'Chicago Code;' I watched that a lot. It was great because it really captured the city - I'm from Chicago, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessy-schram/i-loved-chicago-code-i-watched-that-a-lot-it-was-great-because-it/) [Jessy Schram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessy-schram/) > [I kind of pride myself on coming onto things that are well-oiled machines and finding a way to bring what I bring and fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/i-kind-of-pride-myself-on-coming-onto-things-that-are-well-oiled/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [When we're done simplifying the tax code, getting the lobbyist carve outs our of the tax code, lowering our rates and letting people have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/when-we-re-done-simplifying-the-tax-code-getting-the-lobbyist-carve/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [The tax code is 10 times the size of the Bible with none of the good news.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-ryan/the-tax-code-is-10-times-the-size-of-the-bible-with-none-of-the-good/) [Paul Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-ryan/) > [The Cheney team had, for example, technological supremacy over the National Security Council staff. That is to say, they could read their e-mails. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-wilkerson/the-cheney-team-had-for-example-technological-supremacy-over-the/) [Lawrence Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-wilkerson/) > [ \[T\]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-after-year-a-symbol-of/) [Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/) > [In open source, you really have to be near the watershed to have an impact on the source code. Customers want to be near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-fenton/in-open-source-you-really-have-to-be-near-the-watershed-to-have-an/) [Peter Fenton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-fenton/) > [We can use our art to become political, to become something you want to talk about. 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