Kernighan's lever

Brian Kernighan's quote suggests that debugging is harder than writing code, but this should be seen as an opportunity for skill growth rather than a warning against writing clever code. By tackling complex problems, programmers leverage intrinsic motivations to enhance their abilities. This mechanism, dubbed 'Kernighan's lever', demonstrates that pushing oneself beyond current capacities leads to long-term personal development, despite short-term frustrations. Avoiding clever techniques might prevent these growth opportunities, leading to stagnation.