Kent Beck Quotes

I'm not a great programmer; I'm just a good programmer with great habits.

A plan is an example of what could happen, not a prediction of what will happen.

Optimism is an occupational hazard of programming; feedback is the treatment.

I don't like the feeling, but I've got to say that a little fear makes me a more focused, more responsible programmer.

Testing is not the point. The point is about responsibility.

Listening, Testing, Coding, Designing. That's all there is to software. Anyone who tells you different is selling something.

Make it work, make it right, make it fast.

I've known people who have not mastered their tools who are good programmers, but not a tool master who remained a mediocre programmer.

Sometimes the problem has to mature before the solution can mature.

I tell people to start implementing when they are pretty sure there aren't more important stories out there. An iteration's worth of data is worth months of speculation.

If you're having trouble succeeding, fail.

If testing costs more than not testing, then don't test.

Learning research tells us that the time lag from experiment to feedback is critical.

The system metaphor is a story that everyone--customers, programmers, and managers--can tell about how the system works.

I mean, source code in files; how quaint, how seventies!

The community isn't nearly as afraid as it thinks it is.

Design should be easy in the sense that every step should be obviously and clearly identifiable. Simplify elements to make change simple so you can manage the technical risk.

Extreme programming is an emotional experience.