There are two methods in software design. One is to make the

The computer scientist Tony Hoare, a master of clarity and reason, once declared: “There are two methods in software design. One is to make the program so simple, there are obviously no errors. The other is to make it so complicated, there are no obvious errors.” Though spoken in the realm of machines and code, this truth reaches far beyond the world of computers. It speaks to the nature of all human creation — to the eternal tension between simplicity and complexity, between wisdom and pride, between the humble craftsman who seeks truth and the vain architect who hides behind confusion.

In these words, Hoare reminds us that the greatest strength lies in simplicity. To design something so pure that no error can exist is an act of great discipline, requiring both restraint and deep understanding. Yet it is far easier, and far more tempting, to construct something so tangled that errors cannot be seen — not because they are gone, but because they are buried beneath layers of complexity. This is not only a danger in software, but in every art, every science, every philosophy. For when man hides his ignorance behind intricacy, he mistakes obscurity for genius, and chaos for mastery.

To understand this, one must see the soul of design itself. Simplicity is not the absence of depth, but the presence of clarity. It is the kind of beauty that emerges when nothing unnecessary remains. The ancients knew this well. The sculptor Michelangelo once said that he carved his statues by removing everything that was not the figure within. So too must the designer remove every line of code, every idea, every element that does not serve the essential purpose. To make something simple is not to make it small — it is to make it pure.

Yet, throughout history, man has often chosen the second path — the path of complexity. It is easier to build a labyrinth than a straight road. When something is too intricate to be understood, it can appear impressive, even divine. Think of the Byzantine bureaucracies, whose systems of law and administration grew so tangled that even the rulers could no longer perceive their own errors. The result was not strength, but stagnation. Likewise, in the world of modern technology, programs have grown so vast, so layered, that their creators no longer fully grasp them. The danger of hidden errors grows — not because man lacks intelligence, but because he has forgotten the sacred power of simplicity.

There is a story told of Hoare himself — a man of precision who gave the world the Quicksort algorithm, one of the most elegant creations in computer science. It is brilliant not for its complexity, but for its efficiency and grace. Hoare’s algorithm solved a great problem with few steps, proving that the greatest designs are those that achieve much with little. His quote, then, is not a jest, but a warning born from experience: when you seek perfection through complication, you build not a monument, but a maze.

The lesson is not confined to engineers or philosophers — it belongs to all who create. Whether you build software, write poetry, govern nations, or shape your own life, the principle remains: simplicity reveals truth, complexity conceals it. When your work becomes too tangled to understand, you no longer control it — it controls you. True mastery is the ability to make something profound appear effortless, to build systems, relationships, and ideas that stand clear and strong without hidden faults.

Therefore, let this be your guidance: strive always for clarity, in thought and in design. Do not be seduced by the glamour of complexity or the illusion of depth it brings. Ask yourself, in all things — in your words, your plans, your creations — whether you have added more than is needed, or removed enough to see the essence. For the universe itself, in its vastness, is simple in law though infinite in form. So too should the works of man aspire to such balance — intricate in effect, but simple in principle.

And remember, as Tony Hoare taught through both wit and wisdom: the wise builder makes things so clear that no error can exist; the fool makes them so obscure that error cannot be found. Choose your method, and through it, choose your destiny — for in design, as in life, simplicity is the closest thing we have to perfection.