"generalized" means the most simple code you can come up with. This simple code is then used thousands times from very different programs, and it never changes.
I would disagree that "generalized" equates to simple. Generalized means generic and usually abstract.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_three_(computer_progra...
- https://blog.codinghorror.com/rule-of-three/ "It is three times as difficult to build reusable components as single use components"
I think implicit in the point, most code does not go on to be used thousands of time (let alone dozens or even more than once). Even if some code is used more than once, making it the same and shared has significant costs as well.