When a programmer discovers a pattern, it’s just an insight. In most cases, to go from an unverbalized insight to a well-thought-out idea that the programmer can clearly articulate is surprisingly difficult. It’s also an extremely valuable step. When we understand a pattern well enough to put it into words, we are able to intelligently combine it with other patterns. More important, once put into words, a pattern can be used in discussions among programmers who know the pattern. Such discussions allow programmers to more effectively collaborate and combine their wisdom. They can also help avoid the situation in which programmers argue over different solutions to a problem but find that they were actually thinking of the same solution, only expressing it in different ways.