CHAPTER 1

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Principles and Philosophy

Over 350 years ago, the famous Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi wrote The Book of Five Rings about what he learned from fighting and winning over sixty duels between the ages of thirteen and twenty-nine. His book might be related to a Zen Buddhist martial arts instruction book for sword fighting. In the text, which originally was a five-part letter written to the students at the martial arts school he founded, Musashi outlines general thoughts, ideals, and philosophical principles to lead his students to success.

If it seems strange to begin a programming book with a chapter about philosophy, that’s actually ...

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