Go thoughtfully amid the loops and pipes, and remember what power there is in clarity.
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without sacrificing correctness, write scripts that others may understand. Double-quote your variables vigilantly, and escape the pitfalls of whitespace and globs; for even the seasoned scripters stumble.
As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid the misuse of eval, for it is the harbinger of vulnerabilities. Should you call echo, ensure its arguments are predictable, lest your intentions be misunderstood.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.
Embrace $(...) over backticks,
for they nest gracefully and lend clarity.
Learn the nuance of IFS with care;
it holds the key to cleanly parsing data.
Let simplicity guide your aliases and functions,
for cleverness fades in the face of ambiguity.
Remember, Bash is a tool,
not the hammer for every nail.
If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
In complex tasks, call upon Python or AWK,
acknowledging their grace where Bash falters.
When faced with an if or while,
test your conditions as POSIX intends,
and reject the siren song of nonportable flags.
Be mindful of cd and its transient state;
use subshells to contain its reach.
Learn from find, the tireless seeker,
and xargs, its trusted ally.
Together they traverse trees with purpose,
bringing order to chaos.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Harness grep, the discerning eye, and sed, the quiet transformer. In their streams lies the poetry of text, flowing like water through pipes. Resist the temptation to misuse sudo; privilege is a weighty key. And in scripts, set traps to catch missteps, a guardian against chaos unforeseen.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Seek elegance in loops and arrays, for Bash, though humble, holds great power. Yet, do not despair at its quirks; even its pitfalls are teachers in disguise. You are a scripter of the Unix universe, no less than the tools you invoke; and your shell, like all shells, has its place.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Walk boldly amid its intricacies, but know when to let go. Therefore, script with intention, and whatever your outputs and return codes, in the complexity of systems, find harmony with your shell.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its edge cases, bugs, and limitations, it is still a beautiful shell. Be precise. Strive to be efficient.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.