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14 Grace Hopper Quotes

Grace Hopper's blunt, funny take on bugs and bureaucracy makes this page a lively read.

Grace Hopper quotes

  1. From then on, when anything went wrong with a computer, we said it had bugs in it.

    #1

  2. To me programming is more than an important practical art. It is also a gigantic undertaking in the foundations of knowledge.

    #2

  3. A ship in port is safe; but that is not what ships are built for. Sail out to sea and do new things.

    #3

  4. It's easier to ask forgiveness than it is to get permission.

    #4

  5. I handed my passport to the immigration officer, and he looked at it and looked at me and said, 'What are you?'

    #5

  6. In total desperation, I called over to the engineering building, and I said, 'Please cut off a nanosecond and send it over to me.'

    #6

  7. At the end of about a week, I called back and said, 'I need something to compare this to. Could I please have a microsecond?'

    #7

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

  8. Life was simple before World War II. After that, we had systems.

    #8

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

  9. I had a running compiler and nobody would touch it. [:] they carefully told me, computers could only do arithmetic; they could not do programs.

    #9

  10. I've always been more interested in the future than in the past.

    #10

  11. The wonderful thing about standards is that there are so many of them to choose from.

    #11

    Attribution disputed; shown as originally published.

  12. The most dangerous phrase in the language is, 'We've always done it this way.'

    #12

  13. You manage things, you lead people.

    #13

  14. On COBOL: 'But Grace, then anyone will be able to write programs!'

    #14