Yes, it is an unfortunate catch-22.  I think the secret is that, due to their simplicity and analyzability, it&#x27;s possible to make extraordinarily powerful DSLs that can truly excel at their tasks in a way that general-purpose languages can not.<p>SQL is a perfect example of this.  The fact that it is (barring recursive CTEs) not Turing-complete is what permits very intelligent automatic query optimization.  I can write simple, clear, concise, performant SQL code that blows the pants off anything I can do without extraordinary effort in a general-purpose language.  It is this that has made SQL so indispensable and enduring a tool.