"The story of English spelling is an improbable one in every sense. It is a tale of a process of evolution that contains so many curious accidents and bizarre twists of fate that the end result -- how we spell English today -- must be regarded as one of the most absurd, ridiculous, and protracted (1,500 years and counting) accidents of human culture.
"Yet no matter how accidental and ridiculous the story of English spelling is, and no matter how many suggestions have been made for "improving" English spelling (which is normally taken to mean making it more consistent), the ridiculous accident of English spelling has continued on its merry path much as before, and it's the would-be reformers who have, largely, been forgotten."
- James Essinger: Spellbound - The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling
