Hal Abelson

“Programs must be written for people to read, and only incidentally for machines to execute.”

“SICP is not about a programming language. It is about the process of computation and how to think about it.”

“Computation is a lens for understanding the world.”

“I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user.”

“The key thing about all the world's big problems is that they have to be dealt with collectively. If we don't get people to deal with them collectively, we're not going to get them solved.”

“We're entering a world where data is going to be relied on for all kinds of decisions... and we need to have a way of talking about what's right and what's wrong.”

“When we learn to program, we are learning to formalize our thoughts.”

“Part of the bargain of being a scientist is that you're not supposed to have an emotional attachment to your theories.”

“The reason that it is good for there to be a free software movement is that the alternative is a world in which people are not free to create and share in the ways that they want to.”

“We're building a world where the infrastructure of our lives is software.”

“The computer revolution is a revolution in the way we think and in the way we express what we think.”

“What we're trying to do is make a shift in the notion of literacy. The new literacy is the ability to create and express yourself with digital technology.”

“The important thing is to be able to reason about the programs we write.”