“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves.”Ada Lovelace
Computing PioneersHistory
Computer Quotes
200 FAMOUS QUOTES · COMPUTER
Computer Quotes
Read 200 of the best computer quotes from Alan Turing, Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Donald Knuth and more on computers, programming, the internet and technology.
“The Analytical Engine has no pretensions whatever to originate anything. It can do whatever we know how to order it to perform.”Ada Lovelace
Computing PioneersMachines
“On two occasions I have been asked, "Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?" I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.”
Charles Babbage
Computing PioneersFunny
“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.”
Alan Turing
FutureComputing Pioneers
“A computer would deserve to be called intelligent if it could deceive a human into believing that it was human.”
Alan Turing
Artificial IntelligenceTuring Test
“The most dangerous phrase in the language is, "We've always done it this way."
Grace Hopper
InnovationChange
“It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.”
Grace Hopper
InitiativeInnovation
“A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.”
Grace Hopper
CourageRisk
“If people do not believe that mathematics is simple, it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is.”
John von Neumann
MathematicsWit
“The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim.”
Edsger Dijkstra
Artificial IntelligenceWit
“Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability.”
Edsger Dijkstra
SimplicitySoftware
“If debugging is the process of removing software bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in.”
Edsger Dijkstra
ProgrammingFunny
“Premature optimization is the root of all evil.”
Donald Knuth
ProgrammingSoftware
“Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it.”
Donald Knuth
ProgrammingFunny
“Computer programming is an art, because it applies accumulated knowledge to the world, because it requires skill and ingenuity, and especially because it produces objects of beauty.”
Donald Knuth
ProgrammingArt
“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
Alan Kay
FutureInnovation
“People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware.”
Alan Kay
HardwareSoftware
“Everybody in this country should learn to program a computer, because it teaches you how to think.”
Steve Jobs
ProgrammingThinking
“What a computer is to me is it's the most remarkable tool that we've ever come up with, and it's the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds.”
Steve Jobs
ComputersTools
“Never trust a computer you can't throw out a window.”
Steve Wozniak
ComputersFunny
“My goal wasn't to make a ton of money. It was to build good computers.”
Steve Wozniak
PassionEngineering
“I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.”
Bill Gates
Personal ComputersEmpowerment
“The computer was born to solve problems that did not exist before.”
Bill Gates
ComputersWit
“Talk is cheap. Show me the code.”
Linus Torvalds
ProgrammingAction
“Most good programmers do programming not because they expect to get paid or get adulation by the public, but because it is fun to program.”
Linus Torvalds
ProgrammingPassion
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About Computer Quotes
Computers have changed almost everything about how we live, work, learn and connect. From Charles Babbage's mechanical engines and Alan Turing's codebreaking machines to the smartphone in your pocket, the story of computing is a story of human imagination, persistence and problem-solving.
This collection brings together 200 of the best computer quotes from the pioneers and legends of technology, including Ada Lovelace, Alan Turing, Grace Hopper, Donald Knuth, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Tim Berners-Lee, along with witty lines about bugs, passwords and the internet. Whether you're a programmer, a student or simply curious about tech, you'll find inspiration here. For more, explore our [Technology Quotes](/topics/technology-quotes) and [Science Quotes](/topics/science-quotes).
Frequently asked questions
Quick answers about Computer quotes.
What is the most famous computer quote?
Steve Jobs's description of the computer as "the equivalent of a bicycle for our minds" is one of the best known. Alan Kay's "The best way to predict the future is to invent it" is another classic.
Who was the first computer programmer?
Ada Lovelace is widely regarded as the first computer programmer. In the 1840s she wrote notes on Charles Babbage's Analytical Engine, describing how it "weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves."
Did Bill Gates say "640K ought to be enough for anybody"?
No. Bill Gates has repeatedly denied saying it, and there's no record of the line, so we've left it out of our collection.
Did Einstein say "Computers are incredibly fast, accurate and stupid"?
No. That quote comes from American economist Leo Cherne, who added that "the marriage of the two is a force beyond calculation."
What are some funny programming quotes?
Phil Karlton joked, "There are only two hard things in Computer Science: cache invalidation and naming things." Edsger Dijkstra added that if debugging removes bugs, "programming must be the process of putting them in."
What is a short computer quote?
Try "Think," "Talk is cheap. Show me the code," "Garbage in, garbage out" or "Simplicity is prerequisite for reliability."