> something that looks simple.
There's a lot of old sayings that capture this sentiment. "Simplicity is complexity resolved" (Brancusi), "Good design is invisible) (???), "The best craftsman leaves no trace." (Chinese Proverb??).
My favorite is "Sprezzatura"[0]. The act of making something look simple. IME, the mark of a true expert is they make their work look trivial. As if anyone could do it. It's bittersweet that this is the reality, because we seem to have fooled ourselves into thinking things are as simple as it looks ("pun" intended). It's a dangerous trap. Over estimating difficulty will prevent us from trying, but underestimating will make us foolishly spin our wheels. But I think we've built a system where we just normalize wheel spinning. It's true, most wheels are made for spinning. But if they're freely spinning in the air then your car is going nowhere.
Thx