J. J. Wall Quotes

I just hope I'm never promoted to the level of my incontinence.

The young think they are immortal, and are determined to prove otherwise.

Many days I don't write any code at all, and some days I spend all day writing code.

That which hits the fan tends to get flung in all directions.

I think operating systems work best if they're free and open. Particular applications are more likely to be proprietary.

A good messenger expects to get shot.

I begin by not photographing.

We can debug relationships, but it's always good policy to consider the people themselves to be features. People get annoyed when you try to debug them.

Don't wear rollerskates to a tug-of-war.

Perl doesn't have an infatuation with enforced privacy. It would prefer that you stayed out of its living room because you weren't invited, not because it has a shotgun

The purpose of most computer languages is to lengthen your resume by a word and a comma.

The problem with being consistent is that there are lots of ways to be consistent, and they're all inconsistent with each other.

Obviously I was either onto something, or on something.

Odd that we think definitions are definitive.

If you and I always agree, then one of us is redundant.

Pain can either thrust me into the arms of Jesus or make me turn my back on Him. Either way, it's a choice.

Younger colleagues tended to draw untested self-confidence from their bonuses and prestigious degrees.

Rapid change, accommodating it can be one of the great human capacities. But living through it can be the stuff of stress and often suffering.

Civilizations rise and fall on confidence. America had figured out a way to borrow money to manufacture it.

These were lobbyists—many of them compensated quite handsomely not to react as human beings.

But I MUST say what I feel and think in some way — it is such a relief! But the effort is getting to be greater than the relief.

Information doesn't want to be free. Information wants to be valuable.

If you write something wrong enough, I'll be glad to make up a new witticism just for you.

I'm sorry, but you just made me lose my sense of humor, which is deeply regrettable.

I think I'm likely to be certified before Perl is.

If you consistently take an antagonistic approach, however, people are going to start thinking you're from New York.

Well, I think Perl should run faster than C.

Down that path lies madness. On the other hand, the road to hell is paved with melting snowballs.

[Perl] gives you the STDERR filehandle so that your program can make snide comments off to the side while it transforms (or attempts to transform) your input into your output.

What about writing it first and rationalizing it afterwards?

As a linguist, I don't think of Ada as a big language. Now, English and Japanese, those are big languages. Ada is just a medium-sized language.

Just because you're into control doesn't mean you're in control.

Information wants to be useful.

Yes, but I did manage to increase the amount of virginity in the world by that method.

Being famous has its benefits, but fame isn't one of them.

Save it for my unauthorized autobiography.

This job of playing God is a little too big for me. Nevertheless, someone has to do it, so I'll try my best to fake it.

If any ideology is so serious that you can't have fun while you're doing it, it's probably too serious.

We are so Post-Modern that we don't realize how Post-Modern we are anymore.

I talked about becoming stupid, but I've always been stupid. Fortunately I've been just smart enough to realize that I'm stupid.

Let's say the docs present a simplified view of reality.

The problems that I really like to solve are our cultural problems.

It is my job in life to travel all roads, so that some may take the road less travelled, and others the road more travelled, and all have a pleasant day.

I'm a great believer in visual distinctions.

It's certainly easy to calculate the average attendance for Perl conferences.

You need to go and find someone to teach you the rudiments of irrational discourse.

To be a good artist, you have to serve the work of art and allow it to be what it is supposed to be.

It's appositival, if it's there. And it doesn't have to be there. And it's really obvious that it's there when it's there.

I don't believe I've ever cuddled my elses.

All language designers are arrogant. Goes with the territory.