Don't aim for speed

When a marathon runner realizes he got the first 10km 30% faster than planned, does he get happy? No! He knows he already lost the race. Too much energy was spent and, as humans are not perfect machines, he will burn out before the finish line. Building software is a long distance run. When all you can think about is how fast we can go, your judgment gets clouded. All extra speed will come with a price down the road. Instead, what should we strive for?