Hobgoblins of Little Minds

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds” is a quote from the 1841 essay Self-Reliance written by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I love it because it’s a terse phrase that conveys much meaning.

It means it’s fine to say what you believe in today and contradict yourself tomorrow. It means don’t let your current opinions and work be dictated by your past; instead, be receptive of new ideas even when they don’t fit the image or stance you have projected in the past. Don’t hold too tight to your opinions. Don’t be afraid to be wrong.

It can also mean don’t be afraid of the status quo. Software engineering isn’t a new discipline, there are many established theories and practices of how things should be done. But you should remember that the people who came up with those established theories and practices went against the status quo of their time. So don’t be a sheep and follow what people do just because “that’s the way we’ve always done it”. Question everything.

In this series, I share some of the insights I have acquired in my 8 years working in software. Each one is condensed into a short phrase akin to the Emerson quote, so you can remember and apply it in your everyday programming life.

Different sections cover different areas:

• J (Job-Hunting)
• L (Learning)
• T (Testing)