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Tests are like rumble strips

Only in failure do tests provide value.

Why do you write tests?

Well, assuming you do.

I usually practice Test-Driven Development, so I usually have lots of tests.

But why?

Is it because I like to see green in my build pipeline?

No.

It’s because when I see red, that’s valuable. Tests are meant to fail. And only in their failure do they help me.

Tests are like the rumble strips on the side of the highway. That is, while we aim to avoid them, their value is only ever experienced when we fail to avoid them.

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