By Geoffrey James, InfoBooks, 1987, 0-931137-07-1 Short and hilarious book about programming.

[p5] Something mysterious is formed, born in the silent void. Waiting alone and unmoving, it is at once still and yet in constant motion. It is the source of all programs. I do not know its name, so I will call it the Tao of Programming.

If the Tao is great, then the operating system is great. If the operating system is great, then the compiler is great. If the compiler is great, then the application is great. The user is pleased and there is harmony in the world.

The Tao of Programming flows far away and returns on the wind of morning.”

[p7] The Tao gave birth to machine language. Machine language gave birth to the assembler.

The assembler gave birth to the compiler. Now there are ten thousand languages.

Each language has its purpose, however humble. Each language expresses the yin and yang of software. Each language has its place within the Tao.

But do not program in Cobol if you can avoid it.

[p87] Thus spake the master programmer:

β€œLet the programmers be many and the managers few – then all will be productive.”