Always Remember, However, That There’s Usually A

When Certain Concepts Of Tex Are Introduced Informally, General Rules Will Be Stated; Afterwards You Will Find That The Rules Aren't Strictly True. In General, The Later Chapters Contain More Reliable Information Than The Earlier Ones Do. The Author Feels That This Technique Of Deliberate Lying Will Actually Make It Easier For You To Learn The Ideas. Once You Understand A Simple But False Rule, It Will Not Be Hard To Supplement That Rule With Its Exceptions.

...one Of The Most Important Lessons, Perhaps, Is The Fact That Software Is Hard. From Now On I Shall Have Significantly Greater Respect For Every Successful Software Tool That I Encounter. During The Past Decade I Was Surprised To Learn That The Writing Of Programs For Tex And Metafont Proved To Be Much More Difficult Than All The Other Things I Had Done (like Proving Theorems Or Writing Books). The Creation Of Good Software Demand A Significiantly Higher Standard Of Accuracy Than Those Other Things Do, And It Requires A Longer Attention Span Than Other Intellectual Tasks.

It Would Be Nice If We Could Design A Virtual Reality In Hyperbolic Space, And Meet Each Other There.

We Should Forget About Small Efficiencies, Say About 97% Of The Time: Premature Optimization Is The Root Of All Evil.

The Hardest Thing Is To Go To Sleep At Night, When There Are So Many Urgent Things Needing To Be Done. A Huge Gap Exists Between What We Know Is Possible With Today's Machines And What We Have So Far Been Able To Finish.