If you don't know what you are doing and don't understand the SQL Server query optimizer then this advice is pretty good. I would say, for example, that 90% of the WITH (NOLOCK) table hints I have seen are unnecessary, unhelpful and counter-intuitive.

Query hints, the ability to force a recompile, etc exist for a reason. There are times when your careful, informed and extensive testing leads you to conclude that a overriding the optimizer's decisions is the way to go. Recently there are times that I have needed to require a stored proc to re-compile before each run, force a parallel execution plan (using Adam Machanic's make_parallel) or force a serial plan using OPTION (MAXDOP 1). Again, in each case for me, these changes occurred after extensive testing and with a full understanding of the risks.