Grace Hopper
Grace Hopper
Grace Brewster Murray Hopper, née Grace Brewster Murray, was an American computer scientist and United States Navy Rear Admiral. She was one of the first programmers of the Harvard Mark I computer in 1944, invented the first compiler for a computer programming language, and was one of those who popularized the idea of machine-independent programming languages which led to the development of COBOL, one of the first high-level programming languages...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionScientist
Date of Birth9 December 1906
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
Grace Hopper quotes about
It is easier to apologize than to get permission.
It's easier to apologize than ask for permission.
If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It's much easier to apologize than it is to get permission.
Leadership is a two-way street, loyalty up and loyalty down. Respect for one's superiors; care for one's crew.
No computer is ever going to ask a new, reasonable question. It takes trained people to do that.
Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, 'We've always done it this way.' I try to fight that. That's why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter-clockwise.
You manage things; you lead people.
A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for.
If one ox could not do the job they did not try to grow a bigger ox, but used two oxen. When we need greater computer power, the answer is not to get a bigger computer, but . . .to build systems of computers and operate them in parallel.
The only phrase I've ever disliked is, 'Why, we've always done it that way.' I always tell young people, 'Go ahead and do it. You can always apologize later.'
To me programming is more than an important practical art. It is also a gigantic undertaking in the foundations of knowledge.
The most damaging phrase in the language is: `It's always been done that way.'
It is often easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.
I need something to compare this to. Could I please have a microsecond?