"There is one timeless way of building. It is a thousand years old, and the same today as it has ever been. The great traditional buildings of the past, the villages and tents and temples in which man feels at home, have always been made by people who were very close to the center of this way."
Alexander immediately establishes that there's something eternal about good design. It's not about trends or technological advancements, but about fundamental patterns that connect to human experience. This resonates with how the best digital products often feel "right" in a way that's hard to articulate but easy to recognize.