"If you look at these languages in order, Java, Perl, Python, you notice an interesting pattern. At least, you notice this pattern if you are a Lisp hacker. Each one is progressively more like Lisp."
This is the basic thought. Turns out PG wrote it more explicitly than ESR.
Comments
I am not so sure anymore where I read it. This is interesting:
https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2003-January/03...
It refers to this, I guess. http://www.paulgraham.com/lispfaq1.html?viewfullsite=1
"If you look at these languages in order, Java, Perl, Python, you notice an interesting pattern. At least, you notice this pattern if you are a Lisp hacker. Each one is progressively more like Lisp."
This is the basic thought. Turns out PG wrote it more explicitly than ESR.