Perfecting oneself is as much unlearning as it is learning.

APL is a mistake, carried through to perfection. It is the language of the future for the programming techniques of the past: it creates a new generation of coding bums.

Aim for brevity while avoiding jargon.

The lurking suspicion that something could be simplified is the world's richest source of rewarding challenges.

I left school at 15 feeling fairly useless and not really up to scratch in my education. And I still suffer sometimes from that lack of education.

I planned on being an English teacher, but I don't know where that went.

I grew up in the once segregated South. I experienced forced integration during my formative school years. I lived the sacrifices, burdens, and tears. I also lived the moments of understanding, of acknowledgment, of fellowship and success. I saw my parents and grandparents coming home beaten down - and some of my friends beaten up.

Success in Silicon Valley, most would agree, is more merit-driven than almost any other place in the world. It doesn't matter how old you are, what sex you are, what politics you support or what color you are. If your idea rocks and you can execute, you can change the world and/or get really, stinking rich.