Frederick P. Brooks, Jr.:
"Of all the monsters that fill the nightmares of our folklore, none terrify more
than werewolves, because they transform unexpectedly from the familiar into
horrors. For these, one seeks bullets of silver that can magically lay them to
rest.
The familiar software project, at least as seen by the nontechnical manager, has
something of this character; it is usually innocent and straightforward, but is
capable of becoming a monster of missed schedules, blown budgets, and flawed
products. So we hear desperate cries for a silver bullet--something to make
software costs drop as rapidly as computer hardware costs do."