A plea for lean software

A system that is not understood in its entirety, or at least to significant degree of detail by a single individual, should probably not be built.

Reducing complexity and size must be the goal in every step.

A programmer’s competence should be judged by the ability to find simple solutions.

Programs should be written for human readers as well as for computers.

From A Plea for Lean Software by Niklaus Wirth