Grace Hopper

I am now going to make you a gift that will stay with you the rest of your life. For the rest of your life, every time you say, 'We've always done it that way,' my ghost will appear and haunt you for twenty-four hours.

If it isn't bolted down, bring it home.

I will not take what you need to give me. I will take what you want to give me.

Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, 'We've always done it this way.' I try to fight that.

If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.

A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. Sail out to sea and do new things.

I often say I got out of the Navy in 1966, but I never left.

We're all going to be replaced by a computer. You'll be sitting around and the computer will say, 'Oh, I'm sorry, you're not needed today.'

I'm not a computer scientist. I'm a mathematician. I just happen to work with computers.

The only way to learn a new language is to try to program in it.

It was much more fun to program the Mark I than to operate it.

I have a theory that a quarter of the people in the world are creative, a quarter are destructive, and half are just plain dumb.

The computer is the most powerful tool ever invented. It can do anything you tell it to do, but it won't tell you what to do.

I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.

I'm still learning. I'm always learning. I hope I never stop learning.

The trouble with people is, they don't want to think.

We had a problem with a moth. The moth was in the relay. We got it out and taped it in the logbook.

I think the Mark I was probably the most exciting thing I ever did.

The wonderful thing about a computer is that you can make it do exactly what you want it to do.

I'm going to retire when I'm 100.