Carving wire

I was listening to a Software Engineering Radio interview with Simon Peyton-Jones on my commute this morning. During the interview, SPJ described an early fascination with APL and writing one-line programs. Until, that is, his unnamed mentor at the time told him that APL one-liners

...are like carving a wire from marble. It demonstrates your skill at carving, but is not a good use of marble.

Also, it does not make very good wires.