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Every reader should ask himself periodically “Toward what end, toward what end?”—but do not ask it too often lest you pass up the fun of programming for the constipation of bittersweet philosophy.
Alan Perlis
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Interpretation

What this quote means

This quote emphasizes the importance of having a purpose while also enjoying the process of programming.

Alan Perlis encourages readers to reflect on their goals in programming, suggesting that it is essential to consider the purpose behind one's work. However, he also warns against overthinking this aspect, as it can detract from the joy and fun of the craft, leading to a negative mindset that inhibits creativity and enjoyment.

Themes

ProgrammingPurposeEnjoymentReflectionCreativity

In practice

Example use cases

During a coding workshop, a mentor refers to this quote to encourage participants to enjoy the learning process.

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Every program has (at least) two purposes: the one for which it was written and another for which it wasn't.
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Because of its vitality, the computing field is always in desperate need of new cliches: Banality soothes our nerves.
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In computing, turning the obvious into the useful is a living definition of the word "frustration".
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It is better to have 100 functions operate on one data structure than to have 10 functions operate on 10 data structures.
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A good programming language is a conceptual universe for thinking about programming.
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C programmers never die. They are just cast into void.
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