Luck is the residue of design.

Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.

It's really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them.

The most overlooked advantage to owning a computer is that if they foul up there's no law against wacking them around a little.

Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.

All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors.

Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.

The ideal engineer is a composite ... He is not a scientist, he is not a mathematician, he is not a sociologist or a writer; but he may use the knowledge and techniques of any or all of these disciplines in solving engineering problems.

Don't worry about people stealing an idea. If it's original, you will have to ram it down their throats.

I don't think necessity is the mother of invention - invention, in my opinion, arises directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness. To save oneself trouble.

An inventor is simply a fellow who doesn't take his education too seriously.

I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business.

You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.

The policy of being too cautious is the greatest risk of all.

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.

For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled.

There is an evil tendency underlying all our technology - the tendency to do what is reasonable even when it isn't any good.

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.

When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt.

My work is a game, a very serious game.

Mistakes are the portals of discovery.