--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Programming is all about numbers." description: "\"Programming is all about numbers.\" — Shigeru Miyamoto" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/shigeru-miyamoto-5303_mathematics_programming-is-all-about-numbers-3215992_3215992.jpg" --- # Programming is all about numbers. ![“Programming is all about numbers.” quote by Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/shigeru-miyamoto-5303_mathematics_programming-is-all-about-numbers-3215992_3215992.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/shigeru-miyamoto-5303_mathematics_programming-is-all-about-numbers-3215992_3215992.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/shigeru-miyamoto-5303_mathematics_programming-is-all-about-numbers-3215992_3215992.jpg) > “Programming is all about numbers.” [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reduces programming to fundamental quantitative reasoning, highlighting logic and precision. **In simple terms:** Programming is about numbers. Key Takeaway Focus on logical structures and data. Themes technology logic creativity Mood analytical inspirational Type technical philosophical When to use this quote - software engineering - game design - data analysis Key Concepts algorithmic thinking problem solving abstraction Questions to Reflect On - How do numbers shape creative outcomes? - Can programming be purely quantitative? A Different Perspective Neglects creative and human aspects of coding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mathematics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) [Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/numbers/) [Programming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming/) [Programming Numbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/programming-numbers-6026858/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) ## Related quotes > [Of course, when it comes to Japanese role-playing games, in any role-playing game in Japan you're supposed to collect a huge number of items,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/of-course-when-it-comes-to-japanese-role-playing-games-in-any-role/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [Requirements in mathematical language are no use unless they are easier to read than the code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-parnas/requirements-in-mathematical-language-are-no-use-unless-they-are/) [David Parnas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-parnas/) > [The only reason that we like complex numbers is that we don't like real numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernd-sturmfels/the-only-reason-that-we-like-complex-numbers-is-that-we-don-t-like/) [Bernd Sturmfels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernd-sturmfels/) > [Two times two is twenty-two, four times four is forty-four. When numbers get serious, they leave a mark on your door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/two-times-two-is-twenty-two-four-times-four-is-forty-four-when/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [Cryptography has generated number theory, algebraic geometry over finite fields, algebra, combinatorics and computers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-arnold/cryptography-has-generated-number-theory-algebraic-geometry-over/) [Vladimir Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-arnold/) > [Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/why-isn-t-the-number-11-pronounced-onety-one/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [The professional's grasp of the numbers is a measure of the control he has over the events that the figures represent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-geneen/the-professional-s-grasp-of-the-numbers-is-a-measure-of-the-control/) [Harold Geneen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-geneen/) > [I think more about preparation than numbers. If I'm well prepared, there will be results.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ada-hegerberg/i-think-more-about-preparation-than-numbers-if-i-m-well-prepared/) [Ada Hegerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ada-hegerberg/) > [All I wanted to do was put together one of the best home maths systems in the world, and that's what we've done. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-vorderman/all-i-wanted-to-do-was-put-together-one-of-the-best-home-maths/) [Carol Vorderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-vorderman/) > [Perhaps we've time to have a look at the Number Thirty-One bus queue before we turn in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-trillin/perhaps-we-ve-time-to-have-a-look-at-the-number-thirty-one-bus-queue/) [Calvin Trillin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-trillin/) > [For mathematics, even to the logical forms in which it moves, is entirely dependent on the concept of natural number.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-weyl/for-mathematics-even-to-the-logical-forms-in-which-it-moves-is/) [Hermann Weyl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-weyl/) > [The more science I studied, the more I saw that physics becomes metaphysics and numbers become imaginary numbers. The farther you go into science,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-brown/the-more-science-i-studied-the-more-i-saw-that-physics-becomes/) [Dan Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-brown/) > [Win with ability, not with numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-suvorov/win-with-ability-not-with-numbers/) [Alexander Suvorov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-suvorov/) > [Arithmetic is numbers you squeeze from your head to your hand to your pencil to your paper till you get the answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/arithmetic-is-numbers-you-squeeze-from-your-head-to-your-hand-to-your/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [Rule number something or other -- never tell anybody anything unless you're going to get something better in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/rule-number-something-or-other-never-tell-anybody-anything-unless-you/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) ## More by Shigeru Miyamoto > [There are big lines between those who play video games and those who do not. For those who don't, video games are irrelevant. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/there-are-big-lines-between-those-who-play-video-games-and-those-who/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [If it turns out that Mario doesn't really fit into the type of game I want, I wouldn't mind using Zelda as the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/if-it-turns-out-that-mario-doesn-t-really-fit-into-the-type-of-game-i/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [I think everyone can enjoy games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/i-think-everyone-can-enjoy-games/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [Games are a trigger for adults to again become primitive, primal, as a way of thinking and remembering. An adult is a child who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/games-are-a-trigger-for-adults-to-again-become-primitive-primal-as-a/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [I could make Halo. It's not that I couldn't design that game. It's just that I choose not to. One thing about my game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/i-could-make-halo-it-s-not-that-i-couldn-t-design-that-game-it-s-just/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [Anything that is impractical can be play. It's doing something other than what is necessary to continue living as an animal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/anything-that-is-impractical-can-be-play-it-s-doing-something-other/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [I think I can make an entirely new game experience, and if I can't do it, some other game designer will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/i-think-i-can-make-an-entirely-new-game-experience-and-if-i-can-t-do/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [Of course, when it comes to Japanese role-playing games, in any role-playing game in Japan you're supposed to collect a huge number of items,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/of-course-when-it-comes-to-japanese-role-playing-games-in-any-role/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [A great idea solves multiple problems at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/a-great-idea-solves-multiple-problems-at-the-same-time/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [What comes next? Super Mario 128? Actually, that's what I want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/what-comes-next-super-mario-128-actually-that-s-what-i-want-to-do/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [As long as I can enjoy something, other people can enjoy it, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/as-long-as-i-can-enjoy-something-other-people-can-enjoy-it-too/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [A good idea is something that does not solve just one single problem, but rather can solve multiple problems at once.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/a-good-idea-is-something-that-does-not-solve-just-one-single-problem/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [I'm not saying that I'm going to retire from game development altogether.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/i-m-not-saying-that-i-m-going-to-retire-from-game-development/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [It isn't about games, for me, personally, and it never really was. It was about creating something- anything- far bigger than yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/it-isn-t-about-games-for-me-personally-and-it-never-really-was-it-was/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) > [I don't want to criticize any other designers, but I have to say that many of the people involved in this industry - directors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/i-don-t-want-to-criticize-any-other-designers-but-i-have-to-say-that/) [Shigeru Miyamoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) [Explore all 102 Shigeru Miyamoto quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/) ## More Mathematics quotes > [It is indeed a surprising and fortunate fact that nature can be expressed by relatively low-order mathematical functions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudolf-carnap/it-is-indeed-a-surprising-and-fortunate-fact-that-nature-can-be/) [Rudolf Carnap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudolf-carnap/) > [“π is a mathematician’s dessert”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neve-maslakovic/is-a-mathematician-s-dessert/) [Neve Maslakovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neve-maslakovic/) > [For the execution of the voyage to the Indies, I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/for-the-execution-of-the-voyage-to-the-indies-i-did-not-make-use-of/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [Rule number something or other -- never tell anybody anything unless you're going to get something better in return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/rule-number-something-or-other-never-tell-anybody-anything-unless-you/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [If enough money is involved and enough people believe that two plus two equals five the media will report the story with a straight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/if-enough-money-is-involved-and-enough-people-believe-that-two-plus/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [There's no reason for men to be better at maths than women - it's just about our perception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-riley/there-s-no-reason-for-men-to-be-better-at-maths-than-women-it-s-just/) [Rachel Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-riley/) > [“I had a chat with May and I had a sweet talk with April but the lovely conversation that left me to ponder was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/i-had-a-chat-with-may-and-i-had-a-sweet-talk-with-april-but-the/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [For a physicist mathematics is not just a tool by means of which phenomena can be calculated, it is the main source of concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/for-a-physicist-mathematics-is-not-just-a-tool-by-means-of-which/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [In school math and science were my favorite subjects, but I probably in my true self I'm more of a people person. At the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/in-school-math-and-science-were-my-favorite-subjects-but-i-probably/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [“How in the world did I ever find you?” Mackenzie Winters “Math class.” Brandon Knight”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-jeanisse/how-in-the-world-did-i-ever-find-you-mackenzie-winters-math-class/) [Bella Jeanisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-jeanisse/) > [“One is the notion that knowledge is worth acquiring, all knowledge, and that a solid grounding in mathematics provides one with the essential language…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-patterson-jr/one-is-the-notion-that-knowledge-is-worth-acquiring-all-knowledge-and/) [William H. Patterson Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-patterson-jr/) > [The mathematical facts worthy of being studied are those which, by their analogy with other facts, are capable of leading us to the knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/the-mathematical-facts-worthy-of-being-studied-are-those-which-by/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [“When one day Lagrange took out of his pocket a paper which he read at the Académe, and which contained a demonstration of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baptiste-biot/when-one-day-lagrange-took-out-of-his-pocket-a-paper-which-he-read-at/) [Jean-Baptiste Biot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baptiste-biot/) > [“We are not told, or not told early enough so that it sinks in, that mathematics is a language, and that we can learn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-j-adler/we-are-not-told-or-not-told-early-enough-so-that-it-sinks-in-that/) [Mortimer J. Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-j-adler/) [Browse all 5,382 Mathematics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mathematics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Programming is all about numbers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Shigeru Miyamoto" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/programming-is-all-about-numbers/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Mathematics" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/programming-is-all-about-numbers/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/shigeru-miyamoto-5303_mathematics_programming-is-all-about-numbers-3215992_3215992.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/shigeru-miyamoto-5303_mathematics_programming-is-all-about-numbers-3215992_3215992.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f28/shigeru-miyamoto-5303_mathematics_programming-is-all-about-numbers-3215992_3215992.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Programming is all about numbers.” — Shigeru Miyamoto", "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": "Shigeru Miyamoto", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shigeru-miyamoto/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Programming is all about numbers.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/programming-is-all-about-numbers/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shigeru-miyamoto/programming-is-all-about-numbers/#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 } } ] } ```