Perl has a long tradition of working around compilers.

Younger hackers are hard to classify. They're probably just as diverse as the old hackers are. We're all over the map.

At many levels, Perl is a 'diagonal' language.

Most of you are familiar with the virtues of a programmer. There are three, of course: laziness, impatience, and hubris.

For me, writing is a love-hate relationship.

Portability should be the default.

I think software patents are a bad idea. Many patents are given for trivial inventions.

Symmetry is overrated. Overrated is symmetry.

The Harvard Law states: Under controlled conditions of light, temperature, humidity, and nutrition, the organism will do as it damn well pleases.

Over the long term, symbiosis is more useful than parasitism. More fun, too. Ask any mitochondria.

Hubris itself will not let you be an artist.

O Athenians, what toil do I undergo to please you!

Many men of course became extremely rich, but this was perfectly natural and nothing to be ashamed of because no one was really poor, at least no one worth speaking of.

An idea which can be used only once is a trick. If one can use it more than once it becomes a method.

Generals cannot be trusted with anything, not even with war.

If you haven't had your life what have you had?

Act is the blossom of thought; and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and biter fruitage of his own husbandry

Once you get to the plate, you have two options: You either quit, or you try to hit the ball.

It's up to the national associations and their leagues to limit the entry of foreign players.

I joined an improv group in college, which was a lot of fun. After I graduated, I moved to Chicago to try to get into the Second City.

The first thing you ought to do when you find yourself in a hole is quit digging. . . . Instead they are looking for a bigger shovel.