Programmer's creed

This is my code.

There is many like it, but this is MINE.

My code is my best friend. It is my life.

I must master it as I must master my life.

My code without me is useless. Without my code, I am useless.

I must program my code true.

I must program more elegantly than my competitors who are trying to put me out of business.

I must finish my code before they do. I will...

My code and myself know that what counts in competition is not the lines I type, the noise of my key strokes, nor the coffee I consume.

I know it is the quality that counts. I will write quality code...

My code is human, even as I, because it is my life.

Thus, I will learn it as a brother.

I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its architecture, its context, its components, and its dependencies.

I will ever guard it against the ravages of function abuse and general bad-practice.

I will keep my code clean and stable, even as I am clean and stable.

We will become part of each other. We will...

Before God I swear this creed.

My code and myself are the defenders of my company.

We are the masters of our competition.

We are the saviors of my life.

So be it, until there is no competition, but PEACE.

Written by: Paul van Iterson (Quaint)

Based on 'My rifle' by Maj Gen WH Rupertus (the US Marine Corps' Creed)