Grace Hopper — "I never met a computer I didn't like."
I never met a computer I didn't like.
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More from Grace Hopper
"If it isn't bolted down, bring it home."
"The young people coming along are going to be the ones who solve the problems."
"You manage things; you lead people."
"The most dangerous phrase in the language is, 'We've always done it this way.'"
"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.'"
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Understanding this quote
What it means
A riff on Will Rogers' 'I never met a man I didn't like,' repurposed as a declaration of unconditional love for computers. It conveys that every machine—regardless of quirks, limitations, or era—offers something worth engaging with. More than humor, it signals a disposition: approach technology with enthusiasm and curiosity rather than frustration or fear. Every computer is an opportunity, not an obstacle.
Relevance to Grace Hopper
Hopper spent her career with machines others found intimidating—from the Harvard Mark I in 1944 to UNIVAC in the 1950s. She invented the first compiler, championed COBOL for business use, and famously debugged a relay by removing an actual moth. Her entire professional mission was making computers accessible. This quote captures her authentic enthusiasm—she genuinely saw every machine, however primitive or flawed, as a partner worth knowing.
The era
During Hopper's active decades (1940s–1980s), computers were expensive, unreliable, and widely feared. Early vacuum-tube machines filled entire rooms and broke constantly. Institutional skepticism was pervasive—executives resisted computerization, and the personal computing boom of the late 1970s–80s brought public anxiety about automation. Against this backdrop, Hopper's unconditional affection for every machine was quiet advocacy: normalizing the idea that humans and computers could have a productive, even joyful, relationship.
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