I bet you’re thinking “It was on fire when I found it!” aren’t you? Well, that might be the second most useful phrase, but joking aside, I believe that this is the most useful:
Don’t take anything personally.
It encompasses all of the following traits of good programmers:
- Being open to the ideas and opinions of others.
- Being humble.
- Not letting ego play a part in your thinking and decision making.
- Not being affronted by other people’s suggestions.
- A willingness to learn from others.
Early on in my career I will freely admit that I was guilty of not following this advice often enough.