Constraints Quote by Niklaus Wirth
“Good engineering is characterized by gradual, stepwise refinement of products that yields increased performance under given constraints and with given resources.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Programming in Modula‑2, 1978
Engineering improves by iteratively refining designs within limits.
In simple terms: Good engineering is gradual refinement under constraints.
Iterate within constraints.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- software development
- hardware design
- product prototyping
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- When is a design “good enough”?
- How do you balance performance and resources?
Over‑refinement can cause analysis paralysis.