Careful as they may be, developers of Eiffel libraries will always run into cases in which, after releasing a library class, they suddenly experience what in French is called esprit de l'escalier or wit of the staircase: a great thought which unfortunately is an afterthought, like a clever reply that would have stunned all the other dinner guests - if only you had thought of it before walking down the stairs after the party is over.
Interpretation
It's common to have brilliant ideas after the moment has passed, often reflecting on what could have been said or done.
This quote highlights the phenomenon of 'esprit de l'escalier', which refers to the clever thoughts or responses that come to mind only after a situation has ended. It's a reminder that in life, particularly in creative and intellectual fields like software development, the ideal solutions or witty retorts often occur too late, prompting reflection on how we can better prepare for future interactions or challenges.
In practice
During a team meeting, you might bring up this quote to emphasize the importance of capturing ideas in the moment.
Writing a class without its contract would be similar to producing an engineering component (electrical circuit, VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) chip, bridge, engine...) without a spec. No professional engineer would even consider the idea.
Perfect reusable components are not obtained at the first shot.
There are only two things wrong with C++: The initial concept and the implementation.
Incorrect documentation is often worse than no documentation.
You can either have software quality or you can have pointer arithmetic, but you cannot have both at the same time.
I must say to myself that I ruined myself, and that nobody great or small can be ruined except by his own hand. I am quite ready to say so. ... Terrible as was what the world did to me, what I did to myself was far more terrible still.
In past generations, people would try to play younger than they really are. My trick is, I don't try to play younger than I really am.
Prayer and praise are the oars by which a man may row his boat into the deep waters of the knowledge of Christ.
Freedom is control in your own life. I have more control now than in the past, and I'm learning the value of saying no. That's very important.
He who never puts his trust in any man will never be deceived.
A truly American sentiment recognizes the dignity of labor and the fact that honor lies in honest toil.
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