But it's not the only factor, and, quite frequently, it's a matter of correlation, as opposed to causation.
That kind of thing can be very tricky to determine.
When I write software, my first stab at a function tends to be a fairly linear, high-LoC solution, which I then refactor in stages; reducing LoC each time, and ensuring that the quality level remains consistent, or improves.
As far as quality goes, my first, naive stab, was just fine, and I have actually introduced bugs during my refactoring reduction.
