Simplicity and KISS principle

• Introduction
• Memorable quotes
• Other interesting quotes
• Recommended Links

Introduction

KISS is an acronym for "Keep it simple, stupid" as a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960.  The KISS principle states that most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than made complicated; therefore simplicity should be a key goal in design and unnecessary complexity should be avoided. The phrase has been associated with aircraft engineer Kelly Johnson (1910–1990).

If often cited in software engineering (see KISS Principle ). Bloat in software is caused by feature creep at every layer, not just programming layer or feature set layer. Complex software systems definitely can be build, but never can be fully comprehended.

There is a similar, but not equivalent, principle to Kiss known as Occam’s Razor (Bytes KISS Principle and Occam's Razor): “The simplest explanation is usually the best one.”  Just as there are a number of formulations of the Kiss Principle, so there have likewise been numerous formulations and reformulations of Occam’s Razor, including the following: "If you have two theories that both explain the observed facts, then you should use the simplest until more evidence comes along. The simplest explanation for some phenomenon is more likely to be accurate than more complicated explanations."

That is not to say that complexity should always be avoided as an explanation. The more complex explanation may actually be the correct one. However, where both a complex solution and a simple solution are possible and reasonable, the simpler one will usually be the correct one.

Although there is an overlap between the Kiss Principle and Occam’s Razor, they are not the same. The Kiss Principle says to aim for simplicity and avoid complexity; Occam’s Razor says that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one.

Memorable quotes

• How many things are there which I do not want.  Socrates
• Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.  Leonardo DaVinci
•  "It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away". Antoine de Saint Exupery
• “Minimalism is a way of living at the maximum of your potential.”  ― Anastasiya Kotelnikova
• Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.  Lao Tzu
• Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.  It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.  E.F. Schumacker
• Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.  The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.  Lin Yutang
• The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed -- it is a process of elimination.  ~Elbert Hubbard
• The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.  Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993
• Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.  ~Albert Einstein
• Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.  ~Confucius
• Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying.  The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.  ~Elise Boulding

 Other interesting quotes

• To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life.  ~John Burroughs
• The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn't simple.  ~Doris Janzen Longacre
• The best things in life are nearest:  Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.  Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson
• People love chopping wood.  In this activity one immediately sees results.  ~Albert Einstein
• Maybe a person's time would be as well spent raising food as raising money to buy food.  ~Frank A. Clark
• Material blessings, when they pay beyond the category of need, are weirdly fruitful of headache.  ~Philip Wylie
• I like to walk about among the beautiful things that adorn the world; but private wealth I should decline, or any sort of personal possessions, because they would take away my liberty.  ~George Santayana, "The Irony of Liberalism"
• Live simply is more difficult then simply live. 
• As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.  ~Henry David Thoreau
• Our affluent society contains those of talent and insight who are driven to prefer poverty, to choose it, rather than submit to the desolation of an empty abundance.  ~Michael Harrington
• I go about looking at horses and cattle.  They eat grass, make love, work when they have to, bear their young.  I am sick with envy of them.  ~Sherwood Anderson
• Remember that in giving any reason at all for refusing, you lay some foundation for a future request.  ~Arthur Helps, Essays Written in Intervals of Business, 1841
• The true Indian sets no price upon either his property or his labor.  His generosity is limited only by his strength and ability.  He regards it as an honor to be selected for difficult or dangerous service and would think it shameful to ask for any reward, saying rather:  Let the person I serve express his thanks according to his own bringing up and his sense of honor.  Ohiyesa of the Santee Sioux (Charles Alexander Eastman)
• Who is rich?  He who rejoices in his portion.  The Talmud
• You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. Vernon Howard
• Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!  I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.  Henry David Thoreau
• If you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days.  ~Annie Dillard, "Seeing," Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, 1974
• Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.  Lao Tzu
• We don't need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants.  Not wanting something is as good as possessing it. Donald Horban
• Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.  Edwin Way Teale

• The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.  ~Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993

• To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world.  ~Charles Dudley Warner
• Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying.  The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things.  ~Elise Boulding
• To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life.  ~John Burroughs
• The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn't simple.  ~Doris Janzen Longacre
• The best things in life are nearest:  Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.  Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.  ~Robert Louis Stevenson
• People love chopping wood.  In this activity one immediately sees results.  ~Albert Einstein
• Maybe a person's time would be as well spent raising food as raising money to buy food.  ~Frank A. Clark
• Material blessings, when they pay beyond the category of need, are weirdly fruitful of headache.  ~Philip Wylie
• I like to walk about among the beautiful things that adorn the world; but private wealth I should decline, or any sort of personal possessions, because they would take away my liberty.  ~George Santayana, "The Irony of Liberalism"
• Live simply that others might simply live.  ~Elizabeth Seaton
• Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone.  The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.  ~Lin Yutang
• As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.  ~Henry David Thoreau
• Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.  ~Leonardo DaVinci
• Anything simple always interests me.  ~David Hockney
• Our affluent society contains those of talent and insight who are driven to prefer poverty, to choose it, rather than submit to the desolation of an empty abundance.  ~Michael Harrington
• How many things are there which I do not want.  ~Socrates
• I go about looking at horses and cattle.  They eat grass, make love, work when they have to, bear their young.  I am sick with envy of them.  ~Sherwood Anderson
• Remember that in giving any reason at all for refusing, you lay some foundation for a future request.  ~Arthur Helps, Essays Written in Intervals of Business, 1841
• The true Indian sets no price upon either his property or his labor.  His generosity is limited only by his strength and ability.  He regards it as an honor to be selected for difficult or dangerous service and would think it shameful to ask for any reward, saying rather:  Let the person I serve express his thanks according to his own bringing up and his sense of honor.  ~Ohiyesa of the Santee Sioux (Charles Alexander Eastman)
• Who is rich?  He who rejoices in his portion.  ~The Talmud
• You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need.  ~Vernon Howard
• Since all the riches of this world
  May be gifts from the Devil and earthly kings,
  I should suspect that I worshipp'd the Devil
  If I thank'd my God for worldly things.
  ~William Blake, Gnomic Verses
• Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity!  I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.  ~Henry David Thoreau
• If you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days.  ~Annie Dillard, "Seeing," Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, 1974
• Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are.  When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.  ~Lao Tzu
• We don't need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants.  Not wanting something is as good as possessing it.  ~Donald Horban

• Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.  ~Edwin Way Teale

• The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed - it is a process of elimination.  ~Elbert Hubbard 

• The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. ~Hans Hofmann, Introduction to the Bootstrap, 1993

• To poke a wood fire is more solid enjoyment than almost anything else in the world. ~Charles Dudley Warner
• Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~Confucius
• Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things. ~Elise Boulding
• To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life. ~John Burroughs
• The trouble with simple living is that, though it can be joyful, rich, and creative, it isn't simple. ~Doris Janzen Longacre
• The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life. ~Robert Louis Stevenson
• People love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees results. ~Albert Einstein
• Maybe a person's time would be as well spent raising food as raising money to buy food. ~Frank A. Clark
• Material blessings, when they pay beyond the category of need, are weirdly fruitful of headache. ~Philip Wylie
• I like to walk about among the beautiful things that adorn the world; but private wealth I should decline, or any sort of personal possessions, because they would take away my liberty. ~George Santayana, "The Irony of Liberalism"
• Live simply that others might simply live. ~Elizabeth Seaton
• Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. ~Lin Yutang
• As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness. ~Henry David Thoreau
• Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci
• Anything simple always interests me. ~David Hockney
• Our affluent society contains those of talent and insight who are driven to prefer poverty, to choose it, rather than submit to the desolation of an empty abundance. ~Michael Harrington
• How many things are there which I do not want. ~Socrates
• I go about looking at horses and cattle. They eat grass, make love, work when they have to, bear their young. I am sick with envy of them. ~Sherwood Anderson
• Remember that in giving any reason at all for refusing, you lay some foundation for a future request. ~Arthur Helps, Essays Written in Intervals of Business, 1841
• The true Indian sets no price upon either his property or his labor. His generosity is limited only by his strength and ability. He regards it as an honor to be selected for difficult or dangerous service and would think it shameful to ask for any reward, saying rather: Let the person I serve express his thanks according to his own bringing up and his sense of honor. ~Ohiyesa of the Santee Sioux (Charles Alexander Eastman)
• Who is rich? He who rejoices in his portion. ~The Talmud
• You have succeeded in life when all you really want is only what you really need. ~Vernon Howard
• Since all the riches of this world
  May be gifts from the Devil and earthly kings,
  I should suspect that I worshipp'd the Devil
  If I thank'd my God for worldly things.
  ~William Blake, Gnomic Verses
• Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail. ~Henry David Thoreau
• If you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. ~Annie Dillard, "Seeing," Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, 1974
• Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you. ~Lao Tzu
• We don't need to increase our goods nearly as much as we need to scale down our wants. Not wanting something is as good as possessing it. ~Donald Horban
• Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves. ~Edwin Way Teale
• The sculptor produces the beautiful statue by chipping away such parts of the marble block as are not needed - it is a process of elimination. ~Elbert Hubbard
   

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