Von Neumann languages do not have useful properties for reasoning about programs. Axiomatic and denotational semantics are precise tools for describi…

- John Backus

I, myself, have had many failures and I've learned that if you are not failing a lot, you are probably not being as creative as you could be -you are…

- John Backus

They don't like thinking in medical school. They memorize - that's all they want you to do. You must not think.

- John Backus

You need the willingness to fail all the time.

- John Backus

Much of my work has come from being lazy.

- John Backus

Much of my work has come from being lazy. I didn't like writing programs, and so, when I was working on the IBM 701 (an early computer), writing prog…

- John Backus

You need the willingness to fail all the time. You have to generate many ideas and then you have to work very hard only to discover that they don’t…

- John Backus