It wasn't until a few years ago that I properly understood that somewhat trite line.

It isn't implying that a good workman has the skills to work wonders with bad tools, it's that a good workman will make damn sure they won't have bad tools to begin with.

So you'll sign up to use crappy tools to design hardware with millions of elements?

This isn't about chest-beating. Its about attracting people to a discipline which is currently arcane because of obtuse tools.