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

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.

He pulled out a dagger from ... she wasn't sure where. Did he have that in his loin cloth? What else does he have in there? (Amy's thoughts, The Witching Pen)

How did you… never mind. I keep forgetting you are a demon and can travel anywhere in the blink of an eye.”

Truth is a great flirt.

Life is beautiful, as long as it consumes you. When it is rushing through you, destroying you, life is gorgeous, glorious. It's when you burn a slow fire and save fuel, that life's not worth having.

Whoever originated the cliche that money is the root of all evil knew hardly anything about the nature of evil and very little about human beings.

Victory is much more meaningful when it comes not just from one person, but from the joint achievements of many.

[In] the post-Enlightenment world, science [has] taken the place of magic, miracles, and superstition.

An author is like a baker; it is for him to make the sweets, and others to buy and enjoy them.

Making records is not how it used to be! #stillwerking

You have to be willing to think the unthinkable.