Home / Authors / Kent Beck

Kent Beck

Kent Beck Quotes

Software Engineer

Kent Beck, born in 1961, is a renowned software engineer and a pioneer of the Agile Software Development movement. He is best known for his contributions to Extreme Programming (XP), a software development methodology that emphasizes rapid feedback and continuous improvement. Beck has extensive experience in the field of software engineering and has published numerous papers on various aspects of the discipline.

Filter quotes by topic

All Programming Design Ifs Programmers Development People Responsible Testing Code Cost

Famous Kent Beck Quotes

“... no matter what the client says the problem is, it is always a people problem.”

People Communication Team Management

Book:Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

Source: Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

“Brilliance in a scientist does not consist in being right more often but in being wrong about more interesting topics.”

Science Brilliance Being Wrong 2016 Being Right

Author:Kent Beck

“If you want people to take your advice, you need to solve more problems than you create.”

Software Development Agile Methodology

Book:Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

Source: Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

“The business changes. The technology changes. The team changes. The team members change. The problem isn't change, per se, because change is going to happen; the problem, rather, is the inability to cope with change when it comes.”

Problem Happens Technology Team Members Inability Team Member Business Change

Book:Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

Source: Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

“Listening, Testing, Coding, Designing. That's all there is to software. Anyone who tells you different is selling something.”

Different Design Listening Selling Software Testing Selling Something

Author:Kent Beck

“Of the four project development variables - scope, cost, time and quality - quality isn't really a free variable. The only possible values are "excellent" and "insanely excellent", depending on whether lives are at stake.”

Values Quality Four Development Cost Projects Excellent Stakes Scope Variables

Book:Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

Source: Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

“Make it work, make it right, make it fast.”

Author:Kent Beck

“If testing costs more than not testing, then don't test.”

Ifs Cost Tests Testing

Author:Kent Beck

“Optimism is an occupational hazard of programming; feedback is the treatment.”

Technology Computer Optimism Programming Treatment Feedback Hazards Computer Programming Computer Software Occupational Hazards

Book:Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

Source: Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

“I'm not a great programmer; I'm just a good programmer with great habits.”

Greatness Habit Program Profession Programmers Computer Science Professionalism Skillful

Book:Refactoring: Ruby Edition

Source: Refactoring: Ruby Edition

“I've known people who have not mastered their tools who are good programmers, but not a tool master who remained a mediocre programmer.”

People Known Masters Tools Mediocre Programmers

Author:Kent Beck

“If you're having trouble succeeding, fail.”

Ifs Failing Trouble Succeed

Book:Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

Source: Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change

“The community isn't nearly as afraid as it thinks it is.”

Thinking Community

Author:Kent Beck

“Code wants to be simple... I had to give up the idea that I had the perfect vision of the system to which the system had to conform. Instead, I had to accept that I was only the vehicle for the system expressing its own desire for simplicity. My vision could shape initial direction, and my attention to the desires of the code could affect how quickly and how well the system found its desired shape, but the system is riding me much more than I am riding the system.”

Want Giving Wells Ideas Desire Found Simple Perfect Attention Accepting Vision Shapes Giving Up Simplicity Code Vehicle Riding Conform Initials

Author:Kent Beck

“How good the design is doesn't matter near as much as whether the design is getting better or worse. If it is getting better, day by day, I can live with it forever. If it is getting worse, I will die.”

Ifs I Can Matter Dies Forever Design Simplicity Get Better Better Days

Author:Kent Beck

“Learning research tells us that the time lag from experiment to feedback is critical.”

Design Research Critical Experiments Software Feedback Software Design Lag

Author:Kent Beck

“I tell people to start implementing when they are pretty sure there aren't more important stories out there. An iteration's worth of data is worth months of speculation.”

People Important Stories Months Data Programming Speculation Implementing

Author:Kent Beck

“Responsible Development is the style of development I aspire to now. It can be summarized by answering the question, How would I develop if it were my money? I'm amazed how many theoretical arguments evaporate when faced with this question.”

Ifs Style Development Argument Responsible Programming Aspire Amazed Theoretical

Author:Kent Beck

“Responsible Development shares many practices with XP but the roots are different. Responsible Development's values are honesty, transparency, accountability and responsibility. These lead me to pairing, test-first, incremental design, continuous integration and so on because they support the values.”

Firsts Different Values Responsibility Practice Support Share Honesty Design Development Roots Tests Responsible Programming Accountability Integration Transparency Leading Me

Author:Kent Beck

“I mean, source code in files; how quaint, how seventies!”

Mean Source Code Programming Seventies Files Quaint

Author:Kent Beck

“Testing is not the point. The point is about responsibility.”

Responsibility Programming Testing Slacker

Author:Kent Beck

“I don't like the feeling, but I've got to say that a little fear makes me a more focused, more responsible programmer.”

Littles Feelings Responsible Focused Programmers

Author:Kent Beck

“Sometimes the problem has to mature before the solution can mature.”

Sometimes Problem Solutions Mature

Author:Kent Beck

“A plan is an example of what could happen, not a prediction of what will happen.”

Happens Plans Example Predictions

Author:Kent Beck

“The system metaphor is a story that everyone--customers, programmers, and managers--can tell about how the system works.”

Stories Metaphor Customers Managers Programmers

Author:Kent Beck

About the Author

Born: 1961
Known for: Software Engineer
Quotes: 25

Related Topics

Programming Design Ifs Programmers Development People Responsible Testing Code Cost

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace ChangeRelated source material

Refactoring: Ruby EditionRelated source material

Similar Authors

Edsger DijkstraBrowse related quotes
Bjarne StroustrupBrowse related quotes
Brian KernighanBrowse related quotes
Tony HoareBrowse related quotes
Niklaus WirthBrowse related quotes
Alan PerlisBrowse related quotes
David ParnasBrowse related quotes
Donald KnuthBrowse related quotes
Fred BrooksBrowse related quotes
John CarmackBrowse related quotes