Linus Torvalds

“Linux has definitely made a lot of sense even in a purely materialistic sense.”

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

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

“In many ways, I am very happy about the whole Linux commercial market because the commercial market is doing all these things that I have absolutely zero interest in doing myself.”

“I'm interested in Linux because of the technology, and Linux wasn't started as any kind of rebellion against the 'evil Microsoft empire.'”

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

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

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

“Every once in a while an issue comes up where I have to make a statement. I can't totally avoid all political issues, but I try my best to minimize them. When I do make a statement, I try to...”

“The fame and reputation part came later, and never was much of a motivator, although it did enable me to work without feeling guilty about neglecting my studies.”

“By staying neutral, I end up being somebody that everybody can trust. Even if they don't always agree with my decisions, they know I'm not working against them.”

“I've felt strongly that the advantage of Linux is that it doesn't have a niche or any special market, but that different individuals and companies end up pushing it in the direction they wan...”

“I think, fundamentally, open source does tend to be more stable software. It's the right way to do things.”

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

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

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

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

“Hey, I'm a good software engineer, but I'm not exactly known for my fashion sense. White socks and sandals don't translate to 'good design sense'.”

“You won't get sued for anticompetitive behavior.”

“I don't see myself as a visionary at all.”