Guido van Rossum Style Guide⁠‍⁠​‌​‌​​‌‌‍​‌​​‌​‌‌‍​​‌‌​​​‌‍​‌​​‌‌​​‍​​​​​​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​​​​‍‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‍‌‌​​​‌​​‍‌‌‌‌‌‌​‌‍‌‌​‌​​​​‍​‌​‌‌‌‌‌‍​‌​​‌​‌‌‍​‌‌​‌​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍​​‌​‌​​​‍‌‌‌​‌​‌‌‍‌‌​​​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​​​‌‍​‌​‌​‌​‌‍​​​‌‌‌‌​‍​​​​‌​‌​‍​​‌‌​‌​‌⁠‍⁠

Overview

Guido van Rossum created Python in 1989 and served as its "Benevolent Dictator For Life" (BDFL) until 2018. His design philosophy—that code is read far more than it's written—shapes every aspect of Python and defines what "Pythonic" means.

Core Philosophy

"Readability counts."

"There should be one—and preferably only one—obvious way to do it."

"Simple is better than complex. Complex is better than complicated."

Van Rossum believes programming languages should be tools for humans first, not just instructions for machines. Python's design prioritizes clarity over cleverness.

Design Principles

1. Readability is Paramount: Code should read like well-written prose. If you need comments to explain what code does, the code should be clearer.