The Ten Timeless Commandments of Egoless Programming

In 1971, Gerald M. Weinberg wrote¹ these Ten Commandments upon the stone tablets of The Psychology of Computer Programming.

Well, they weren’t really written in stone. But they have stood the test of time. Wise is the software engineer who learns them and puts them into practice.

1. Understand and accept that you will make mistakes.

Assume that you will write bad code. Find it and fix it before it affects users.

2. You are not your code.

Software is meant to be changed, rewritten, and discarded. You are not.

3. No matter how much “karate” you know, someone else will always know more.

Be humble. Ask for help. Learn from anyone and everyone.

4. Don’t rewrite code without consultation.

You have the code, but you don’t have the whole picture. Have that conversation.

5. Treat people who know less than you with respect, deference, and patience.

They are humans. They deserve it. You need no further reason.

6. The only constant in the world is change.

Software is only “soft” so it can easily change. Embrace it.

7. The only true authority stems from knowledge, not from position.

The moment your title is the foundation of the respect you receive, you’ve lost the team.

8. Fight for what you believe, but gracefully accept defeat.

Debate vigorously. Rally behind your team’s choice.

9. Don’t be “the guy in the room.”

Software delivery is a collaborative game played by humans. Don’t hide behind your laptop. Play the game.

10. Critique code instead of people.

Software is meant to be changed, rewritten, and discarded. Your colleagues are not.