--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: GOTO, n.: A programming tool that exists…" description: "\"GOTO, n.: A programming tool that exists to allow structured programmers to complain about unstructured programmers.\" — Raymond Simard" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/raymond-simard-70369_complaining_goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to_1269827.png" --- # GOTO, n.: A programming tool that exists to allow… ![“GOTO, n.: A programming tool that exists to allow structured programmers to complain about unstructured programmers.” quote by Raymond Simard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/raymond-simard-70369_complaining_goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to_1269827.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/raymond-simard-70369_complaining_goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to_1269827.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/raymond-simard-70369_complaining_goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to_1269827.png) > “GOTO, n.: A programming tool that exists to allow structured programmers to complain about unstructured programmers.” [Raymond Simard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-simard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A tongue‑in‑cheek critique of programmers who favor unstructured code while claiming to be structured. **In simple terms:** Criticizes hypocrisy in programming styles. Key Takeaway Beware of double standards in coding. Themes programming critique culture ethics Mood ironic critical Type satirical observational When to use this quote - code reviews - team meetings - training sessions - hiring decisions Key Concepts software engineering programmer identity communication Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance structure and flexibility? - When does criticism become unproductive? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex design debates. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complaining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaining/) [Computer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/computer/) [Goto Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goto-programming-4066834/) [Programmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programmers/) [Programmers Complain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programmers-complain-4066837/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Programming Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming-tool-4066838/) [Structured Programmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/structured-programmers-4066836/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Tools](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tools/) [Unstructured Programmers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unstructured-programmers-4066835/) ## Related quotes > [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/) > [As a programmer, it is your job to put yourself out of business. What you do today can be automated tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-mcilroy/as-a-programmer-it-is-your-job-to-put-yourself-out-of-business-what/) [Douglas McIlroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-mcilroy/) > [“The genes are master programmers, and they are programming for their lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-genes-are-master-programmers-and-they-are-programming-for-their/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [LISP programmers know the value of everything and the cost of nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/lisp-programmers-know-the-value-of-everything-and-the-cost-of-nothing/) [Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/) > [With the exceptional talent that is Guy Sigsworth as producer and collaborator, we have recorded a collection of original songs that sees me moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-moyet/with-the-exceptional-talent-that-is-guy-sigsworth-as-producer-and/) [Alison Moyet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-moyet/) > [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/) > [Now that I have the knowledge and I can speak to programmers better and I understand a lot more about what's possible and what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-white/now-that-i-have-the-knowledge-and-i-can-speak-to-programmers-better/) [Shaun White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-white/) > [When I was at college there were two things I vowed I'd never do. One was go to a funeral and the other was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-cornwell/when-i-was-at-college-there-were-two-things-i-vowed-i-d-never-do-one/) [Patricia Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-cornwell/) > [If you cannot grok the overall structure of a program while taking a shower, you are not ready to code it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-pattis/if-you-cannot-grok-the-overall-structure-of-a-program-while-taking-a/) [Richard E. Pattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-e-pattis/) > [... programming requires more concentration than other activities. 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We are driven to find our bugs now, so we don't have to endure the shame of others finding our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-hunt/pragmatic-programmers-are-different-we-are-driven-to-find-our-bugs/) [Andrew Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-hunt/) > [I think once the artistic world of the type designer merged with the scientific world of the computer programmer, you began to see this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bierut/i-think-once-the-artistic-world-of-the-type-designer-merged-with-the/) [Michael Bierut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bierut/) > [Programming is how we talk to the machines that are increasingly woven into our lives. If you aren't a programmer, you're like one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-reilly/programming-is-how-we-talk-to-the-machines-that-are-increasingly/) [Tim O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-reilly/) ## More by Raymond Simard > [Fortunately, the second-to-last bug has just been fixed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-simard/fortunately-the-second-to-last-bug-has-just-been-fixed/) [Raymond Simard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-simard/) > [A programming language that is sort of like Pascal except more like assembly except that it isn't very much like either one, or anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-simard/a-programming-language-that-is-sort-of-like-pascal-except-more-like/) [Raymond Simard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-simard/) > [A unit of documentation. There are always three or more on a given item. One is on the shelf; someone has the others. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-simard/a-unit-of-documentation-there-are-always-three-or-more-on-a-given/) [Raymond Simard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-simard/) [Explore all 4 Raymond Simard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-simard/) ## More Complaining quotes > [And you can't complain about kissing Emma Watson. Isn't that what everyone in the world wants to do? 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It is never fair - at best it is impartial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/do-not-complain-of-life-s-unfairness-it-is-never-fair-at-best-it-is/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [But if people will laugh at my work and keep a sound roof over my head, who am I to complain?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billie-burke/but-if-people-will-laugh-at-my-work-and-keep-a-sound-roof-over-my/) [Billie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billie-burke/) > [I think we need to talk about mental illness a lot more. People complain about tax dollars and say we don't have the money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-long/i-think-we-need-to-talk-about-mental-illness-a-lot-more-people/) [Nia Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-long/) > [Instead of complaining about your circumstances, get busy creating new ones. 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Because, you know, as I've been speaking about it, sure, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naheed-nenshi/i-ll-tell-you-that-the-dog-whistle-politics-is-badly-missing-the-mark/) [Naheed Nenshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naheed-nenshi/) [Browse all 1,994 Complaining quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complaining/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "GOTO, n.: A programming tool that exists to allow structured programmers to complain about unstructured programmers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Raymond Simard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-simard/goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to-allow-structured-programmers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complaining" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-simard/goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to-allow-structured-programmers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/raymond-simard-70369_complaining_goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to_1269827.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/raymond-simard-70369_complaining_goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to_1269827.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff2/raymond-simard-70369_complaining_goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to_1269827.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“GOTO, n.: A programming tool that exists to allow structured programmers to complain about unstructured…” — Raymond Simard", "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": "Raymond Simard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-simard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "GOTO, n.: A programming tool that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-simard/goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to-allow-structured-programmers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-simard/goto-n-a-programming-tool-that-exists-to-allow-structured-programmers/#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 } } ] } ```