Donald Knuth quotes - page 2

The reason is not to glorify "bit chasing"; a more fundamental issue is at stake here: Numerical subroutines should deliver results that satisfy simple, useful mathematical laws whenever possible. [...] Without any underlying symmetry properties, the job of proving interesting results becomes extremely unpleasant. The enjoyment of one's tools is an essential ingredient of successful work. (Donald Knuth)
In a way, you'd say my life is a convex combination of English and mathematics. ... And not only that, I want my kids to be that way: use left brain, right brain at the same time – you got a lot more done. That was part of the bargain. View quote
Donald Knuth
Everyday life is like programming, I guess. If you love something you can put beauty into it. View quote
Donald Knuth
People think that computer science is the art of geniuses but the actual reality is the opposite, just many people doing things that build on eachother, like a wall of mini stones. View quote
Donald Knuth
I decry the current tendency to seek patents on algorithms. There are better ways to earn a living than to prevent other people from making use of one's contributions to computer science. View quote
Donald Knuth
To summarize: We have seen that computer programming is an art, because it applies accumulated knowledge to the world, because it requires skill and ingenuity, and especially because it produces objects of beauty. A programmer who subconsciously views himself as an artist will enjoy what he does and will do it better. Therefore we can be glad that people who lecture at computer conferences speak of the state of the Art. View quote
Donald Knuth
A good technical writer, trying not to be obvious about it, but says everything twice: formally and informally. Or maybe three times. View quote
Donald Knuth
I am assuming that God exists and I am glad that there is no way to prove this. [Because] I would run through the proof once, and then I'd forget it, and I would never speculate about spiritual things and mysteries otherwise. And, I think, my life would be very incomplete. View quote
Donald Knuth
Let's face it, if there were 10 people like me in the world, we wouldn't have time to read each other's books. View quote
Donald Knuth
The real problem is that programmers have spent far too much time worrying about efficiency in the wrong places and at the wrong times; premature optimization is the root of all evil (or at least most of it) in programming. View quote
Donald Knuth
If you optimize everything, you will always be unhappy. (Donald Knuth)
I currently use Ubuntu Linux, on a standalone laptop - it has no Internet connection. I occasionally carry flash memory drives between this machine and the Macs that I use for network surfing and graphics; but I trust my family jewels only to Linux. View quote
Donald Knuth
A list is only as strong as its weakest link. View quote
Donald Knuth
The most important thing in the kitchen is the waste paper basket and it needs to be centrally located. View quote
Donald Knuth
In fact what I would like to see is thousands of computer scientists let loose to do whatever they want. That's what really advances the field. View quote
Donald Knuth
My general working style is to write everything first with pencil and paper, sitting beside a big wastebasket. Then I use Emacs to enter the text into my machine. View quote
Donald Knuth
God is a challenge because there is no proof of his existence and therefore the search must continue. View quote
Donald Knuth
There's ways to amuse yourself while doing things and thats how I look at efficency. View quote
Donald Knuth
I'm obsessively detail-oriented. View quote
Donald Knuth
The manuals we got from IBM would show examples of programs and I knew I could do a heck of a lot better than that. So I thought I might have some talent. View quote
Donald Knuth
The hardest thing is to go to sleep at night, when there are so many urgent things needing to be done. A huge gap exists between what we know is possible with today's machines and what we have so far been able to finish. (Donald Knuth)
I've never been a good estimator of how long things are going to take. View quote
Donald Knuth
The process of preparing programs for a digital computer is especially attractive, not only because it can be economically and scientifically rewarding, but also because it can be an aesthetic experience much like composing poetry or music. View quote
Donald Knuth
I came to philosophy finally phrased as "0.8 is enough." View quote
Donald Knuth
The reason is not to glorify "bit chasing"; a more fundamental issue is at stake here: Numerical subroutines should deliver results that satisfy simple, useful mathematical laws whenever possible. View quote
Donald Knuth