Understand Before Building

If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough. Every project starts with weeks of reading and thinking before a single line of code.

Dependencies Are Liabilities

Every external library is a liability. Prefer 100 lines of your own code over a dependency you do not fully understand. The best dependency is no dependency.

Simplicity Is Requisite

Complexity is the enemy of reliability. The measure of intelligence is the ability to simplify without losing essence.

Build for the Long Term

Code should last decades, not quarters. Optimize for reading, debugging, and modification. Future you is the primary user.