Edsger Dijkstra

Computer Science Dutch 1930 – 2002 321 quotes

Pioneer of structured programming and graph algorithms

Quotes by Edsger Dijkstra

The effective exploitation of his powers of abstraction is the most vital activity of the competent programmer.

EWD340: The Humble Programmer 1972

The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don't know.

EWD340: The Humble Programmer 1972

The art of programming is the art of organizing complexity, of mastering multitude and making it manageable.

EWD340: The Humble Programmer 1972

The only way to do great work is to love what you do.

EWD340: The Humble Programmer 1972

The most important thing in programming is to be able to reason about your programs.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to write correct programs is to write them correctly in the first place.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make progress is to be critical of your own work.

EWD340: The Humble Programmer 1972

The only way to understand a program is to execute it.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program fast is to make it correct first.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program robust is to make it simple.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program maintainable is to make it understandable.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program portable is to make it independent of the machine.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program secure is to make it correct.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program efficient is to make it correct.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program scalable is to make it modular.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program reusable is to make it general.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program testable is to make it simple.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program verifiable is to make it formal.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program understandable is to make it well-structured.

A Discipline of Programming 1976

The only way to make a program reliable is to make it provable.

A Discipline of Programming 1976