I love code (similar to how an artist might love a type of paint brush), but what I don't love is code that's designed to impress or an attempt to show off hOw SmArT i Am. More often than not, that code isn't the most efficient or the cleanest, it's just a contraption that looks impressive to an untrained eye. That type of code is guaranteed to turn a code base into a mess—all for the sake of someone's ego.

My preferred heuristic is: "will I or any other developer be able to understand this—quickly—in six months (preferably without comments)?" If the answer is "no," refactor using a different approach.