Progress is possible only if we train ourselves to think about programs without thinking of them as pieces of executable code.
Edsger DijkstraRead
Teaching to unsuspecting youngsters the effective use of formal methods is one of the joys of life because it is so extremely rewarding.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Teaching effective methods to young learners is a deeply fulfilling experience.
Edsger Dijkstra highlights the joy and satisfaction that comes from educating young people about formal methods. The act of teaching not only imparts knowledge but also provides a sense of accomplishment and reward, as educators see their students thrive and develop valuable skills.
Themes
TeachingEducationRewardingFormal MethodsYoungsters
In practice
Example use cases
During a conference on education, this quote can inspire teachers to share their experiences.
More from Edsger Dijkstra
All quotes βSimplicity is prerequisite for reliability.
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The purpose of abstraction is not to be vague, but to create a new semantic level in which one can be absolutely precise.
Edsger DijkstraRead
We shall do a much better programming job, provided that we approach the task with a full appreciation of its tremendous difficulty, provided that we stick to modest and elegant programming languages, provided that we respect the intrinsic limitations of the human mind and approach the task as Very Humble Programmers.
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The tools we use have a profound and devious influence on our thinking habits, and therefore on our thinking abilities.
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LISP has jokingly been described as "the most intelligent way to misuse a computer." I think that description is a great compliment because it transmits the full flavour of liberation: it has assisted a number of our most gifted fellow humans in thinking previously impossible thoughts.
Edsger DijkstraRead
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If you are reading in order to become a better reader, you cannot read just any book or article. You will not improve as a reader if all you read are books that are well within your capacity. You must tackle books that are beyond you, or, as we have said, books that are over your head. Only books of that sort will make you stretch your mind. And unless you stretch, you will not learn.
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The foundations of any subject may be taught to anybody at any age in some form.
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One of the few ways I can almost be certain I'll understand something is by sitting down and writing about it. Because by forcing yourself to write about it and putting it down in words, you can't avoid having your say on the subject. You might be wrong, but you have to think about it very intensely to write about it.
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The young writer should learn to spot them: words that at first glance seem freighted with delicious meaning, but that soon burst in the air, leaving nothing but a memory of bright sound.
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Education makes a people easy to lead but difficult to drive easy to govern, but impossible to enslave.
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