THE MANUALS

"Do not expose your LaserWriter to fire or intense heat."
Apple LaserWriter manual

"Documentation is like sex: when it is good, it is very, very good; and when it is bad, it is better than nothing.''
Dick Brandon

"This document describes the usage and input syntax of the Unix Vax-11 assembler As. As is designed for assembling code produced by the "C" compiler; certain concessions have been made to handle code written directly by people, but in general little sympathy has been extended."
Berkeley Vax/Unix Assembler Reference Manual (1983)

"Now that we have all this useful information, it would be nice to do something with it. (Actually, it can be emotionally fulfilling just to get the information. This is usually only true, however, if you have the social life of a kumquat.)"
Unix Programmer's Manual

"All parts should go together without forcing. You must remember that the parts you are reassembling were disassembled by you. Therefore, if you can't get them together again, there must be a reason. By all means, do not use a hammer."
IBM maintenance manual, 1925

"Program -- A set of instructions, given to the computer, describing the sequence of steps the computer performs in order to accomplish a specific task. The task must be specific, such as balancing your checkbook or editing your text. A general task, such as working for world peace, is something we can all do, but not something we can currently write programs to do."
From Unix User's Manual Manual, Supplementary Documents, p. 14-3:

The primary purpose of the DATA statement is to give names to constants; instead of referring to pi as 3.141592653589793 at every appearance, the variable PI can be given that value with a DATA statement and used instead of the longer form of the constant. This also simplifies modifying the program, should the value of pi change.
Fortran manual for xerox computers