Kent Beck's advice on writing papers.

Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"A theory is something nobody believes, except the person who made it. An experiment is something everybody believes, except the person who made it." - Albert Einstein

"Nothing is more practical than a good theory." - Kurt Lewin

"Inquiry is fatal to certainty." - Will Durant

"One of the principal objects of theoretical research in my department of knowledge is to find the point of view from which the subject appears in its greatest simplicity." - Willard Gibbs

"Basic research is what I am doing when I don't know what I am doing." - Wernher von Braun

"There's a touch of the priesthood in the academic world, a sense that a scholar should not be distracted by the mundane tasks of day-to-day living. I used to have great stretches of time to work. Now I have research thoughts while making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Sure it's impossible to write down ideas while reading 'curious George' to a two-year-old. On the other hand, as my husband was leaving graduate school for his first job, his thesis advisor told him, 'You may wonder how a professor gets any research done when one has to teach, advise students, serve on committees, referee papers, write letters of recommendation, interview prospective faculty. Well, I take long showers.'" - Susan Landau

"Research is the process of going up alleys to see if they are blind." - Marston Bates

"I felt a little guilty that I had solved my Ph.D. problem in one hour, so I dressed it up with a few other chapters of stuff." - Donald Knuth

"If you ask me what makes me most happy, number one would be somebody saying 'I learned something from you.' Number two would be somebody saying 'I used your software.'" - Donald Knuth

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is."

"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother." - Albert Einstein

One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, speak a few reasonable words...

Some say the cup is half empty, while others say it is half full. However, in my opinion both are wrong. The real problem is the cup is too big. Sometimes all we need is a new perspective on an old problem. - From the book "Foundation design", by Coduto, Donald P.

The most important thing is to keep the most important thing the most important thing. - From the book "Foundation design", by Coduto, Donald P.

Good, better, best, never let it rest, 'til your good is better and your better is best.