Zen of Python
The Zen of Python is a collection of guiding principles for writing Python code. It’s a set of aphorisms that capture the philosophy of Python and its design.
The Zen of Python was written by Tim Peters, a major contributor to Python, and it emphasizes simplicity and readability.
You can access the Zen of Python in your Python environment by importing this. This will display the list of aphorisms and provide insight into the mindset behind Python’s design.
The Zen of Python encourages developers to think about the design, style, and aesthetics of their code, helping them to create programs that are not only functional but also elegant and easy to understand.
Example
To view the Zen of Python, you can run the following code in a Python REPL:
>>> import this
The Zen of Python, by Tim Peters
Beautiful is better than ugly.
Explicit is better than implicit.
Simple is better than complex.
Complex is better than complicated.
Flat is better than nested.
Sparse is better than dense.
Readability counts.
Special cases aren't special enough to break the rules.
Although practicality beats purity.
Errors should never pass silently.
Unless explicitly silenced.
In the face of ambiguity, refuse the temptation to guess.
There should be one-- and preferably only one --obvious way to do it.
Although that way may not be obvious at first unless you're Dutch.
Now is better than never.
Although never is often better than *right* now.
If the implementation is hard to explain, it's a bad idea.
If the implementation is easy to explain, it may be a good idea.
Namespaces are one honking great idea -- let's do more of those!
After running the command, you get the Zen of Python printed to your screen.
Related Resources
Tutorial
What's the Zen of Python?
In this tutorial, you'll be exploring the Zen of Python, a collection of nineteen guiding principles for writing idiomatic Python. You'll find out how they originated and whether you should follow them. Along the way, you'll uncover several inside jokes associated with this humorous poem.