From: http://paulgraham.com/hp.html
Both morals and fashion trends are temporary, which is why nerds don’t care about either of them. Worrying about and conforming to something that you cannot control and doesn’t help you in the long run is useless and wasteful.
Hackers are more like painters than mathematicians. That is less described as scientists and more described as creatives.
User feedback is the ultimate test of your programming skills, so get it as fast as possible (How to Start a Startup).