14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (2024)

Table of Contents
“Curse of the self-taught: fear that you know only points here and there, islands of knowledge, and between them are chasms into which you will fall in humiliating failure, a fear that followed me from the first time I learned how to code.” – Ellen Ullman, Life in Code “The most dangerous phrase in the language is, ‘We’ve always done it this way.'” – Grace Hopper, computer pioneer and naval officer “Programming isn’t about what you know; it’s about what you can figure out.” – Chris Pine, Learn to Program “Code is read much more often than it is written.” – Guido Van Rossum, creator of Python “You might not think that programmers are artists, but programming is an extremely creative profession. It’s logic-based creativity.” – John Romero, video game developer and programmer “This was one of the best parts of being a coder, and an artist: the thrill of being in the middle of creating something delightful. It’s like the anticipation of eating freshly baked bread after its aroma fills the room.” – Dr. Joy Buolamwini, Unmasking AI “Every great developer you know got there by solving problems they were unqualified to solve until they actually did it.” – Patrick McKenzie, software engineer “The code you write makes you a programmer. The code you delete makes you a good one. The code you don’t have to write makes you a great one.” – Mario Fusco, Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat “Code is like humor. When you have to explain it, it’s bad.” – Cory House, React and JavaScript specialist “The more I study, the more insatiable do I feel my genius for it to be.” – Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer “Learning to write programs stretches your mind, and helps you think better, creates a way of thinking about things that I think is helpful in all domains.” – Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder “In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind, there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki, Zen monk and teacher “Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” – Martin Fowler, Refactoring “The function of good software is to make the complex appear to be simple.” – Grady Booch, Chief Scientist for Software Engineering at IBM Research Find more coding inspiration Related courses FAQs References

Sometimes an inspirational quote really hits. We’re not talking about the corny trite ones (“Live, Laugh, Love” or “But first, coffee”), but the poignant and beautiful sayings that articulate our complex thoughts and emotions.

It’s often difficult to translate the zeros and ones of coding into words. But there are lots of quotes from notable technologists throughout history that reflect the developer’s experience and will renew your appreciation for your craft.

If you’re getting started learning to code or just need some New Year’s momentum, we’ve got some quotes for you that’ll feel like a pep talk. We gathered the most relatable and inspirational quotes about coding and technology from books, posts on X (formerly known as Twitter), interviews, and more. Some of these are about the frustration and payoff of learning a new skill, while others are about the essence of programming and problem solving. Read on, share your favorites on social media, hang them by your desk, or simply file them away for a rainy day.

“Curse of the self-taught: fear that you know only points here and there, islands of knowledge, and between them are chasms into which you will fall in humiliating failure, a fear that followed me from the first time I learned how to code.” – Ellen Ullman, Life in Code

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (1)

“The most dangerous phrase in the language is, ‘We’ve always done it this way.'” – Grace Hopper, computer pioneer and naval officer

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (2)

“Programming isn’t about what you know; it’s about what you can figure out.” – Chris Pine, Learn to Program

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (3)

“Code is read much more often than it is written.” – Guido Van Rossum, creator of Python

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (4)

“You might not think that programmers are artists, but programming is an extremely creative profession. It’s logic-based creativity.” – John Romero, video game developer and programmer

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (5)

“This was one of the best parts of being a coder, and an artist: the thrill of being in the middle of creating something delightful. It’s like the anticipation of eating freshly baked bread after its aroma fills the room.” – Dr. Joy Buolamwini, Unmasking AI

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (6)

“Every great developer you know got there by solving problems they were unqualified to solve until they actually did it.” – Patrick McKenzie, software engineer

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (7)

“The code you write makes you a programmer. The code you delete makes you a good one. The code you don’t have to write makes you a great one.” – Mario Fusco, Principal Software Engineer at Red Hat

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (8)

“Code is like humor. When you have to explain it, it’s bad.” – Cory House, React and JavaScript specialist

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (9)

“The more I study, the more insatiable do I feel my genius for it to be.” – Ada Lovelace, the world’s first computer programmer

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (10)

“Learning to write programs stretches your mind, and helps you think better, creates a way of thinking about things that I think is helpful in all domains.” – Bill Gates, Microsoft co-founder

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (11)

“In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind, there are few.” – Shunryu Suzuki, Zen monk and teacher

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (12)

“Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” – Martin Fowler, Refactoring

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (13)

“The function of good software is to make the complex appear to be simple.” – Grady Booch, Chief Scientist for Software Engineering at IBM Research

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (14)

Find more coding inspiration

You can find coding motivation in lots of places. Check out this list of books written by women technologists, or read about the non-coding hobbies that inform developers’ work. Connecting with our community and meeting other people who are on a similar path is another great way to get a boost and feel reinvigorated to reach your coding goals.

Related courses

5 courses

Intro to ChatGPT Beginner Learn about ChatGPT, one of the most advanced AI systems available today, and dive into the world of Generative AI.
Learn SQL Beginner In this SQL course, you’ll learn how to manage large datasets and analyze real data using the standard data management language.
Learn to Code with Blockly Beginner Want to learn how to get started with programming in an interactive way? Try our drag and drop code lessons!
Choosing a Programming Language Beginner This course will introduce learners to factors to consider when picking a first language as well as describe some popular options.
Choosing a Career in Tech Beginner Are you feeling confused about where to aim for with your career goals? Take this course to learn about different career options!

Subscribe for news, tips, and more

14 Motivational Quotes About Coding & Computer Programming (2024)

FAQs

What is a slogan for a coder? ›

Crack the Code, Change the World.” “Debugging the World, One Line at a Time.” “Code Fearlessly, Innovate Relentlessly.” “Coding: Building the Future, One Byte at a Time.”

What is a famous quote about software development? ›

“Software and cathedrals are much the same; first we build them, then we pray.” by Anonymous. “Any fool can write code that a computer can understand. Good programmers write code that humans can understand.” by Martin Fowler. “Real programmers can write assembly code in any language.” by Larry Wall.

What is an inspirational quote for a computer engineer? ›

“Everybody should learn to program a computer, because it teaches you how to think.” - Steve Jobs, former CEO and creator of Apple (He also said, "Creativity is just connecting things... The broader one's understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have.")

What is the golden rule of coders? ›

Rule 1: Follow a consistent coding standard. Rule 2: Name things properly, long variable and function names are allowed. Rule 3: Be expressive, write code as you speak, and be optimally verbose. Rule 4: Max indent per method should be 2, in case of exceptions 3.

What are single quotes in coding? ›

In a shell command, a single quote is used to enclose a string literal that should be treated literally, without any variable substitution or command substitution. This is in contrast to double quotes, which allow variable and command substitution.

What is the motto of the coding Club? ›

The club's motto is to Create-Build-Innovate.

What is a professional coder called? ›

A clinical coder—also known as clinical coding officer, diagnostic coder, medical coder, or nosologist—is a health information professional whose main duties are to analyse clinical statements and assign standardized codes using a classification system.

What is a great coder? ›

A great coder understands the underlying mechanisms of the modern computer architectures enough to make his/her programs run 10-1000x faster depending on the problem being solved.

What is an inspirational quote for development? ›

Quotes for a Growth Mindset
  • “Do the best you can until you know better. ...
  • “There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” - ...
  • “Stay afraid, but do it anyway. ...
  • “One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth.
Jan 19, 2024

What is a quote for software development? ›

A software development quote is a formal document that outlines the estimated cost, scope, and timeline for a specific software project. It serves as a contractual agreement between the client and the software development company.

What is a good quote about Computer Science? ›

Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.” “The computer was born to solve problems that did not exist before.” “Software is like entropy: It is difficult to grasp, weighs nothing, and obeys the Second Law of Thermodynamics; i.e., it always increases.”

How do you write quotes in code? ›

The <q> HTML element indicates that the enclosed text is a short inline quotation. Most modern browsers implement this by surrounding the text in quotation marks. This element is intended for short quotations that don't require paragraph breaks; for long quotations use the <blockquote> element.

What is a coding example? ›

Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps and websites. Your browser, your OS, the apps on your phone, Facebook, and this website – they're all made with code. Here's a simple example of code, written in the Python language: print 'Hello, world!'

What is coding messages? ›

Coding means to hide the meaning of any message and decoding means to understand the actual meaning of that message. In questions based on coding-decoding, a word or sentence is coded in a particular way and the candidates are asked to code other word or sentence in the same way or to decode the word or sentence.

What is coding simple words? ›

Coding can be defined as writing instructions for computers and other hardware. The computer is then able to read the instructions (called “programs”) and do what you have asked it to do. Computer language is different from human language.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Jonah Leffler

Last Updated:

Views: 6304

Rating: 4.4 / 5 (65 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Jonah Leffler

Birthday: 1997-10-27

Address: 8987 Kieth Ports, Luettgenland, CT 54657-9808

Phone: +2611128251586

Job: Mining Supervisor

Hobby: Worldbuilding, Electronics, Amateur radio, Skiing, Cycling, Jogging, Taxidermy

Introduction: My name is Jonah Leffler, I am a determined, faithful, outstanding, inexpensive, cheerful, determined, smiling person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.