Here's some of my favorite quotes from "The Mythical Man-Month":

"The bearing of a child takes nine months no matter how many women are assigned".

"The management question ... is not whether to build a pilot system and throw it away. You will do that. The only question is whether to plan in advance to build a throwaway, or to promise to deliver the throwaway to customers."

"I once knew a boss who invariably picked up the phone to give orders before the end of the first paragraph in a status report. That response is guaranteed to squelch full disclosure."