Quote

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.

Donald Knuth

Change background

T
T
T

Change font

TAGS & TOPICS

Donald Knuth
Age: 86
Born: 1938
Born: January 10
Academic
Computer Scientist
Engineer
Historian Of Mathematics
Mathematician
Programmer
University Teacher
Writer
Milwaukee City
Wisconsin
Donald E. Knuth
Don Knuth
Donald Ervin Knuth
D.E.K.
DEK
Knuth
Would
Talent
Example
Knew
Show
Heck
Shows
Manuals
Thought
Examples
Better
Programs
Might
Program

More quotes by Donald Knuth

Image
How can you own numbers? Numbers belong to the world.
Donald Knuth
Image
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.
Donald Knuth
Image
We should forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time: premature optimization is the root of all evil.
Donald Knuth
Image
I've never been a good estimator of how long things are going to take.
Donald Knuth
Image
Any inaccuracies in this index may be explained by the fact that it has been prepared with the help of a computer.
Donald Knuth
Image
AI has by now succeeded in doing essentially everything that requires 'thinking' but has failed to do most of what people and animals do 'without thinking'-that, somehow, is much harder.
Donald Knuth
Image
The sun comes up just about as often as it goes down, in the long run, but this doesn't make its motion random.
Donald Knuth
Image
In fact, my main conclusion after spending ten years of my life working on the TEX project is that software is hard. It's harder than anything else I've ever had to do.
Donald Knuth
Image
Computers are good at following instructions, but not at reading your mind.
Donald Knuth
Image
I'm obsessively detail-oriented.
Donald Knuth
Image
A mathematical formula should never be owned by anybody! Mathematics belong to God.
Donald Knuth
Image
TeX has found at least one bug in every Pascal compiler it's been run on, I think, and at least two in every C compiler
Donald Knuth
Image
Science is knowledge which we understand so well that we can teach it to a computer and if we don't fully understand something, it is an art to deal with it.
Donald Knuth
Image
The designer of a new kind of system must participate fully in the implementation.
Donald Knuth
Image
The best practice is inspired by theory.
Donald Knuth
Image
It is much more rewarding to do more with less.
Donald Knuth
Image
Programming is legitimate and necessary academic endeavour.
Donald Knuth
Image
Meta-design is much more difficult than design it's easier to draw something than to explain how to draw it.
Donald Knuth
Image
By understanding a machine-oriented language, the programmer will tend to use a much more efficient method it is much closer to reality.
Donald Knuth
Image
I can’t go to a restaurant and order food because I keep looking at the fonts on the menu.
Donald Knuth