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Code Quote by Steve McConnell

“There is no code so big, twisted, or complex that maintenance can't make it worse.” quote by Steve McConnell
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““There is no code so big, twisted, or complex that maintenance can't make it worse.””

Steve McConnell

About This Quote

Source Book: Code Complete, 2nd Edition, 2004

Large, tangled code becomes even harder to maintain, and maintenance tends to degrade it further.

In simple terms: Complex code gets worse with maintenance.

Key Takeaway

Keep code simple and well‑structured.

Themes

software engineering maintenance code quality

Mood

cautious pragmatic

Type

advice technical

When to use this quote

  • legacy system overhaul
  • team code reviews
  • bug fixing
  • feature addition

Key Concepts

technical debt refactoring complexity

Questions to Reflect On

  • How can you design code to stay maintainable over time?
  • What practices prevent maintenance from degrading a system?
A Different Perspective

If the code is already poor, maintenance may be limited in impact.

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