On Delivery and Value
The Master said: "Nothing counts unless it reaches production. Code that lives only in branches is merely a hypothesis, not a contribution."
The Master said: "The value of software is not measured by its elegance, but by how well it serves those who use it. A crude solution that solves a real problem outshines a beautiful solution that serves no one."
The Master said: "Merge often, deploy daily. The longer your work remains separate from the whole, the more of a stranger it becomes."
The Master said: "He who waits for perfect requirements before beginning will never finish. She who delivers imperfect solutions and improves them will transform the world."
The Master said: "The wise programmer does not measure progress by lines written, but by problems solved. One well-placed deletion often contributes more than a thousand additions."
On Code Quality
The Master said: "Test your own work first. The one who plants a garden does not wait for others to discover the weeds."
The Master said: "Write code that is courteous to those who will maintain it. A moment of clarity in expression may save days of confusion in the future."
The Master said: "Complex solutions are a sign of incomplete understanding. The master programmer does not demonstrate cleverness through complexity, but wisdom through simplicity."
The Master said: "More code has been strengthened through deletion than addition. The master's backspace key wears out before the others."
The Master said: "Preserve our ability to recover. The robustness of a system is measured not by how it performs when all is well, but by how quickly it can be restored when things go awry."
On Technical Decisions
The Master said: "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. The wise engineer constrains possibilities not by inability, but by judgment."
The Master said: "Beware the tools that promise to eliminate complexity by adding layers of abstraction. They often replace a simple problem you understand with a complex one you don't."
The Master said: "Choose technologies based on their fit for the problem, not their appeal to your resume. The project that endures is built with humble tools applied wisely."
The Master said: "The pursuit of native performance through direct SQL will serve you better than the temporary convenience of an ORM. What is built directly stands firm; what is built through layers of translation eventually distorts."
The Master said: "In software, there are no perfect solutions—only trade-offs well-understood or poorly made. The engineer who pretends otherwise deceives themselves before they deceive others."
On Process and Workflow
The Master said: "When stuck for thirty minutes, seek help. Pride that prevents asking questions is the most expensive liability on any project."
The Master said: "Break large tasks into smaller commits. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but it is sustained by clear milestones along the way."
The Master said: "Work in progress limits exist to focus our efforts, not limit our productivity. The engineer who starts many things finishes few; the engineer who limits their work completes much."
The Master said: "Pull requests are not mere formalities but opportunities to sharpen one another. The code that passes through many eyes develops fewer blind spots."
The Master said: "Tickets, branches, commits, and PRs should all tell the same story. When they diverge, confusion and waste inevitably follow."
On Balance and Sustainability
The Master said: "Software is built not only by the hands that type, but by the minds that imagine and the hearts that persevere. Neglect none of these and your work will endure."
The Master said: "The 'works on my machine' excuse reveals a failure to understand our purpose. We ship solutions, not scenarios."
The Master said: "Iron sharpens iron. The strongest teams are forged through honest feedback and mutual support, not through isolated brilliance or false praise."
The Master said: "Know the difference between deadlines and death marches. The former focuses the mind; the latter destroys it."
The Master said: "Your code both reflects reality and creates it. Listen carefully to understand what exists, then write with clarity to manifest what could be."
— Collected by the Disciples of the Coding Master