Top 50 Linus Torvalds Quotes From The Creator Of Linux

Luca Demetriou
Dec 12, 2023 By Luca Demetriou
Originally Published on Feb 11, 2021
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Read time: 7.5 Min

Linus Benedict Torvalds is a Finnish software engineer who is the creator of Linux and, historically, the Linux kernel’s principal developer for Linux distributions and other operating systems such as Android and Chrome OS.

Linux Torvalds is a Finnish computer scientist who was the principal force behind the Linux operating system development. At the age of 10, Torvalds began to dabble in computer programming on his grandfather’s Commodore VIC-20. Here are some of Linus Torvalds quotes that will help you inspire and get to know about Windows.

Linux Torvalds, the creator of Linux and a champion of free and open sources, has finally called it a day and agreed to join Microsoft as the project head for the Windows 9 project. Microsoft is a Linux company, and 50% of their Azure workloads are Linux now.

Linus Torvalds created the Linux Kernel, oversaw open source development of the widely-used Linux operating system and is known for his creation and even lead the architect role for the first open-source operating system kernel. He is also a pioneer for the open-sourcing community.

Linus currently works with Linux Foundation, which is the primary organization that backs the operating system. At present, he works full-time on the Linux kernel as a part of the Linux Foundation. Here are some of the best Linus Torvalds quotes.

Best Linus Torvalds Inspirational Quotes

Linus Torvalds is not only a computer scientist but also a software sector genius for the work done by himself. He happens to be the creative genius behind the Linux Kernel operating system that he wrote as part of his Master’s thesis titled: 'Linux: A Portable Operating System', at aged 21.

Here are some of the most famous Linus Torvalds quotes.

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1. “Most good programmers do programming not because they expect to get paid or get adulation by the public, but because it is fun to program.”

- Linus Torvalds.

2. “My name is Linus, and I am your God.”

- Linus Torvalds.

3. “The Linux philosophy is ‘Laugh in the face of danger’. Oops. Wrong One. ‘Do it yourself’.”

- Linus Torvalds.

4. “Any program is only as good as it is useful.”

- Linus Torvalds.

5. “In real open source, you have the right to control your own destiny.”

- Linus Torvalds.

6. “In open source, we feel strongly that to really do something well, you have to get a lot of people involved.”

- Linus Torvalds.

7. “There are lots of Linux users who don’t care how the kernel works, but only want to use it. That is a tribute to how good Linux is.”

- Linus Torvalds.

8. “There’s innovation in Linux. There are some really good technical features that I’m proud of. There are capabilities in Linux that aren’t in other operating systems.”

- Linus Torvalds.

9. “I want my office to be quiet. The loudest thing in the room - by far - should be the occasional purring of the cat.”

- Linus Torvalds.

10. “Once you start thinking more about where you want to be than about making the best product, you’re screwed.”

- Linus Torvalds.

11. “The memory management on the PowerPC can be used to frighten small children.”

- Linus Torvalds.

12. “I think of myself as an engineer, not as a visionary or ‘big thinker.’ I don’t have any lofty goals.”

- Linus Torvalds.

13. “I don’t think I’m unusual in preferring my laptop to be thin and light.”

- Linus Torvalds.

14. “Shareware tends to combine the worst of commercial software with the worst of free software.”

- Linus Torvalds.

15. “That’s what makes Linux so good: you put in something, and that effort multiplies. It’s a positive feedback cycle.”

- Linus Torvalds.

16. “I’ve never regretted not making Linux shareware: I really don’t like the pay for use binary shareware programs.”

- Linus Torvalds.

17. “I don’t have any authority over Linux other than this notion that I know what I’m doing.”

- Linus Torvalds.

18. “The thing with Linux is that the developers themselves are actually customers too: that has always been an important part of Linux.”

- Linus Torvalds.

19. “I’m generally a very pragmatic person: that which works, works.”

- Linus Torvalds.

20. “I’ve been employed by the University of Helsinki, and they’ve been perfectly happy to keep me employed and doing Linux.”

- Linus Torvalds.

21. “I see myself as a technical person who chose a great project and a great way of doing that project.”

- Linus Torvalds.

22. “I very seldom worry about other systems. I concentrate pretty fully on just making Linux the best I can.”

- Linus Torvalds.

23. “I like to think that I’ve been a good manager. That fact has been very instrumental in making Linux a successful product.”

- Linus Torvalds.

24. “Making Linux GPL’d was definitely the best thing I ever did.”

- Linus Torvalds.

25. “Hey, I’m a good software engineer, but I’m not exactly known for my fashion sense.”

- Linus Torvalds.

Funny Linus Torvalds Quotes

Linus Torvalds doesn’t lack a sense of humor. Linus Torvalds is known as humorous and forthright about his personality quirks. Here are some of Linus Torvalds funny quotes and other Linus Torvalds quotes about HTML that are even better.

26. “In my opinion MS is a lot better at making money than it is at making good operating systems.”

- Linus Torvalds.

27. “When you say ‘I wrote a program that crashed Windows,’ people just stare at you blankly and say ‘Hey, I got those with the system, for free.”

- Linus Torvalds.

28. “I love making friends.... it’s people I can’t stand.”

- Linus Torvalds.

29. “Excusing bad programming is a shooting offence, no matter what the circumstances.”

- Linus Torvalds.

30. “How should I know if it works? That’s what beta testers are for. I only coded it.”

- Linus Torvalds.

31. “I’m an idiot… At least this one [bug] took about 5 minutes to find…”

- Linus Torvalds.

32. “A computer is like air conditioning - it becomes useless when you open Windows.”

- Linus Torvalds.

33. “Talk is cheap. Show me the code.”

- Linus Torvalds.

34. “I like offending people, because I think people who get offended should be offended.”

- Linus Torvalds.

35. “Bad programmers worry about the code. Good programmers worry about data structures and their relationships.”

- Linus Torvalds.

36. “Backups are for wimps. Real men upload their data to an FTP site and have everyone else mirror it.”

- Linus Torvalds.

37. “Microsoft isn’t evil, they just make really crappy operating systems.”

- Linus Torvalds.

38. “People who are doing things for fun do things the right way by themselves.”

- Linus Torvalds.

39. “No problem is too big it can’t be run away from.”

- Linus Torvalds.

40. “I’m basically a very lazy person who likes to get credit for things other people actually do.”

- Linus Torvalds.

Linus Torvalds Quotes About Microsoft

Linus Torvalds said that some anti-Microsoft statements, which are sometimes funny as a joke, but not really. He says he is happy that they have changed, and also the engineers are happy with the work done and the use of Microsoft. Here are some of Linus Torvalds quotes, Windows and other topics included.

41. “If Microsoft ever does applications for Linux it means I’ve won.”

- Linus Torvalds.

42. “It’s not really about Linux vs. Microsoft, it’s about something you really, really have fun with.”

- Linus Torvalds.

43. “I may make jokes about Microsoft at times, but at the same time, I think the Microsoft hatred is a disease.”

- Linus Torvalds.

44. “I used to be interested in Windows NT, but the more I see it, the more it looks like traditional Windows with a stabler kernel.”

- Linus Torvalds.

45. “In many cases the user interface to a program is the most important part for a commercial company: whether the program works correctly or not seems to be secondary.”

- Linus Torvalds.

46. “I am not out to destroy Microsoft, that would be a completely unintended side effect.”

- Linus Torvalds.

47. “I’m simply too content doing what I want to do to really have a very negative attitude towards MicroSoft. They make bad products - so what?”

- Linus Torvalds.

48. “I don’t try to be a threat to MicroSoft, mainly because I don’t really see MS as competition. Especially not Windows-the goals of Linux and Windows are simply so different.”

- Linus Torvalds.

49. “I can’t say that I like MicroSoft: I think they make rather bad operating systems - Windows NT is just more of the same.”

- Linus Torvalds.

50.“The cyberspace earnings I get from Linux come in the format of having a Network of people that know me and trust me, and that I can depend on in return.”

- Linus Torvalds.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly quotes for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Linus Torvalds quotes, then why not take a look at Alan Turing quotes, or Ada Lovelace quotes.

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Written by Luca Demetriou

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English and Drama, Master of Arts specializing in Performance: Design and Practice

Luca Demetriou picture

Luca DemetriouBachelor of Arts specializing in English and Drama, Master of Arts specializing in Performance: Design and Practice

Experienced in writing and sub-editing, Luca holds a Bachelor's in English Literature and Drama from the University of Birmingham, where he served as the culture editor at Redbrick Paper. He is currently pursuing a Master's in Performance: Design and Practice at the University of the Arts in London, showcasing his passion for the arts, performance, and history. With a keen interest in traveling, Luca enjoys exploring new cultures and experiencing diverse perspectives.

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