1%%$FreeBSD: head/usr.bin/fortune/datfiles/murphy 228909 2011-12-27 10:21:57Z dougb $ 2% 3(1) Anyone can make a decision given enough facts. 4(2) A good manager can make a decision without enough 5 facts. 6(3) A perfect manager can operate in perfect ignorance. 7% 8(1) Everything depends. 9(2) Nothing is always. 10(3) Everything is sometimes. 11% 12(1) Everything is a system. 13(2) Everything is part of a larger system. 14(3) The universe is infinitely systematized both upward 15 (larger systems) and downward (smaller systems). 16(4) All systems are infinitely complex. (The illusion 17 of simplicity comes from focusing attention on 18 one or a few variables). 19% 20(1) If it's green or it wiggles, it's biology. 21(2) If it stinks, it's chemistry. 22(3) If it doesn't work, it's physics. 23% 24(1) If the weather is extremely bad, church 25 attendance will be down. 26(2) If the weather is extremely good, church 27 attendance will be down. 28(3) If the bulletin covers are in short supply 29 church attendance will exceed all expectations. 30% 31(1) If you like it, they don't have it in your size. 32(2) If you like it and it's in your size, it doesn't 33 fit anyway. 34(4) If you like it and it fits, you can't afford it. 35(5) If you like it, it fits and you can afford it, it 36 falls apart the first time you wear it. 37% 38(1) Never draw what you can copy. 39(2) Never copy what you can trace. 40(3) Never trace what you can cut out and paste down. 41% 42(1) The telephone will ring when you are outside the 43 door, fumbling for your keys. 44 45(2) You will reach it just in time to hear the click 46 of the caller hanging up. 47% 481) Things will get worse before they get better. 492) Who said things would get better? 50% 5180% of the final exam will be based on the one lecture 52you missed about the one book you didn't read. 53% 5490% of everything is crud. 55% 56A $300.00 picture tube will protect a 10c fuse by blowing 57first. 58% 59A 60-day warranty guarantees that the product will 60self-destruct on the 61st day. 61% 62A bird in hand is safer than one overhead. 63% 64A bird in the hand is dead. 65% 66A budget is a plan that falls apart when the plumber 67has to make an emergency visit. 68% 69A budget is buying a dress two sizes too small because 70it was marked down. 71% 72A budget is saving quarters in a mason jar for 73Christmas and spending them by Easter. 74% 75A budget is spending $15.00 on gas to drive to a 76shopping mall to save $4.30 on a 20 pound turkey. 77% 78A budget is trying to figure out how the family next 79door is doing it. 80% 81A budget is trying to make $25.00 go as far today as 82it did when you were first married. 83% 84A budget is wondering why you should balance yours 85if the government can not balance theirs. 86% 87A car and a truck approaching each other on an otherwise 88deserted road will meet at the narrow bridge. 89% 90A carelessly planned project will take three times 91longer than expected; a carefully planned project will 92take only twice as long. 93% 94A child will not spill on a dirty floor. 95% 96A closed mouth gathers no foot. 97% 98A complex system designed from scratch never works and 99cannot be patched up to make it work. You have to start 100over, beginning with a working simple system. 101% 102A complex system that works is invariably found to have 103evolved from a simple system that works. 104% 105A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking. 106% 107A consultant is an ordinary person a long way from home. 108% 109A coup that is known in advance is a coup that does not 110take place. 111% 112A crisis is when you can't say "let's forget the 113whole thing". 114% 115A day without sunshine .... 116is like ... night! 117% 118A disagreeable task is its own reward. 119% 120A drug is that substance which, when injected into a 121rat, will produce a scientific report. 122% 123A fail-safe circuit will destroy others. 124 -- Klipstein 125% 126A fool and his money are invited places. 127% 128A fool and his money soon go partying. 129% 130A fool and your money are soon partners. 131% 132A free agent is anything but. 133% 134A hug is the perfect gift - one size fits all, and 135nobody minds if you exchange it. 136% 137A large system, produced by expanding the dimensions of 138a smaller system, does not behave like the smaller system. 139% 140A little ambiguity never hurt anyone. 141% 142A little humility is arrogance. 143% 144A little ignorance can go a long way. 145% 146A lot of what appears to be progress is just so much 147technological roccoco. 148% 149A man of quality does not fear a woman seeking equality. 150% 151A man should be greater than some of his parts. 152% 153A mediocre player will sink to the level of his or 154her opposition. 155% 156A meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept 157and the hours are lost. 158% 159A pat on the back is only a few inches from a kick 160in the pants. 161% 162A penny saved is ... not much. 163% 164A pessimist is an optimist with experience. 165% 166A physician's ability is inversely proportional 167to his availability. 168% 169A prerequisite for a desired course will be offered 170only during the semester following the desired course. 171% 172A president of a democracy is a man who is always ready, 173willing, and able to lay down your life for his country. 174% 175A RACF protected dataset is inaccessible. 176% 177A short cut is the longest distance between two points. 178% 179A shy, introverted child will choose a crowded public 180area to loudly demonstrate newly acquired vocabulary. 181% 182A stagnant science is at a standstill. 183% 184A theory is better than its explanation. 185% 186A work project expands to fill the space available. 187% 188Absolutely nothing in the world is friendlier than 189a wet dog. 190% 191Access holes will be 1/2" too small. 192Holes that are the right size will be in the wrong place. 193% 194ACF2 is a four letter word. 195% 196Adding manpower to a late software product makes it later. 197% 198After all is said and done, a hell of a lot more is said 199than done 200% 201After things have gone from bad to worse, the cycle 202will repeat itself. 203% 204After winning an argument with his wife, 205the wisest thing a man can do is apologize. 206% 207All American cars are basically Chevrolets. 208% 209All breakdowns occur on the plumber's day off. 210% 211All general statements are false. (Think about it.) 212% 213All good things must come to an end. 214I want to know when they start! 215% 216All things being equal, all things are never equal. 217% 218All things being equal, you lose. 219 220All things being in your favor, you still lose. 221% 222All things come to him whose name is on a mailing list. 223% 224All trails have more uphill sections than they have 225level or downhill sections. 226% 227All warranties expire upon payment of invoice. 228% 229Almost anything is easier to get into than out of. 230% 231Among economists, the real world is often a special case. 232% 233An alcoholic is a person who drinks more than his 234own physician. 235% 236An auditor enters the battlefield after the war is over, 237and attacks the wounded. 238% 239An easily-understood, workable falsehood is more useful 240than a complex, incomprehensible truth. 241% 242An expert doesn't know any more than you do. He or she is 243merely better organized and uses slides. 244% 245An expert is anyone from out of town. 246% 247An expert is one who knows more and more about less 248and less until he knows absolutely everything 249about nothing. 250% 251An Irishman is not drunk as long as 252he can hang onto a single blade of grass 253and not fall off the face of the earth. 254% 255An optimist believes we live in the best of all 256possible worlds. 257A pessimist fears this is true. 258% 259An optimist is a person who looks forward to marriage. 260A pessimist is a married optimist! 261% 262An original idea can never emerge from committee 263in its original form. 264% 265An ounce of application is worth a ton of abstraction. 266% 267An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys. 268% 269Any child who chatters non-stop at home will adamantly 270refuse to utter a word when requested to demonstrate 271for an audience. 272% 273Any circuit design must contain at least one part which 274is obsolete, two parts which are unobtainable and three 275parts which at still under development. 276% 277Any cooking utensil placed in the dishwasher will be 278needed immediately thereafter for something else. 279% 280Any given program costs more and takes longer. 281% 282Any given program, when running, is obsolete. 283% 284Any given program will expand to fill all available memory. 285% 286Any improbable event which would create maximum confusion 287if it did occur, will occur. 288% 289Any line, however short, is still too long. 290% 291Any measuring utensil used for liquid ingredients will 292be needed immediately thereafter for dry ingredients. 293% 294Any task worth doing was worth doing yesterday. 295% 296Any technical problem can be overcome given enough 297time and money. 298% 299Any theory can be made to fit any facts by means of 300approximate, additional assumptions. 301% 302Any time you wish to demonstrate something, the number of 303faults is proportional to the number of viewers. 304% 305Any tool dropped while repairing a car will roll underneath 306to the exact center. 307% 308Anybody can win - unless there happens to be a second entry. 309% 310Anyone who follows a crowd will 311never be followed by a crowd. 312% 313Anything good in life either causes cancer in 314laboratory mice or is taxed beyond reality. 315% 316Anything hit with a big enough hammer will fall apart. 317% 318Anything is possible, but nothing is easy. 319% 320Anything is possible if you don't know what you're 321talking about. 322% 323Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. 324% 325Anything you try to fix will take longer and cost more than 326you thought. 327% 328As the economy gets better, everything else gets worse. 329% 330Assumption is the mother of all foul-ups. 331% 332Assumption is the mother of all screw-ups. 333% 334At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from 335the aisle arrive last. 336% 337At any level of traffic, any delay is intolerable. 338% 339At the end of the semester you will recall having 340enrolled in a course at the beginning of the semester 341-- and never attending. 342% 343Authorization for a project will be granted only when 344none of the authorizers can be blamed if the project 345fails but when all of the authorizers can claim credit 346if it succeeds. 347% 348Automotive engine repairing law: 349If you drop something, it will never reach the ground. 350% 351Bad law is more likely to be supplemented than repealed. 352% 353Bad news drives good news out of the media. 354% 355Bare feet magnetize sharp metal objects so they always 356point upward from the floor -- especially in the dark. 357% 358Beauty is only skin deep, ugly goes clear to the bone. 359% 360Before ordering a test decide what you will do if it is, 361(1) positive, or 362(2) negative. 363If both answers are the same, don't do the test. 364% 365Beware of the physician who is great at getting 366out of trouble. 367% 368Blessed are those who go around in circles, 369for they shall be known as wheels. 370% 371Blessed is he who expects no gratitude, 372for he shall not be disappointed. 373% 374Blessed is he who has reached the point of no return and 375knows it for he shall enjoy living. 376% 377Build a system that even a fool can use, 378and only a fool will use it. 379% 380Calm down .... it is only ones and zeros. 381% 382Can't produces countercan't. 383% 384Capitalism can exist in one of only two states: 385welfare or warfare. 386% 387Celibacy is not hereditary. 388% 389Class schedules are designed so that every student will 390waste the maximum time between classes. 391% 392Cleanliness is next to impossible. 393% 394Clearly stated instructions will consistently produce 395multiple interpretations. 396% 397"Close" only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and 398thermonuclear devices. 399% 400Common sense is not so common. 401% 402Complex problems have simple, easy-to-understand 403wrong answers. 404% 405Complex systems tend to oppose their own proper function. 406% 407Complicated systems produce unexpected outcomes. 408% 409Consultants are mystical people who ask a company for 410a number and then give it back to them. 411% 412Consumer assistance doesn't. 413% 414Cop-out number 1. 415You should have seen it when I got it. 416% 417Cost of repair can be determined by multiplying the 418cost of your new coat by 1.75, or by multiplying the 419cost of a new washer by .75. 420% 421Create problems for which only you have the answer. 422% 423Definition of an elephant: 424A mouse built to government specifications. 425% 426Democracy is that form of government where 427everybody gets what the majority deserves. 428% 429Despite the sign that says "wet paint", 430please don't. 431% 432Do not believe in miracles -- rely on them. 433% 434Do whatever your enemies don't want you to do. 435% 436Don't ask the barber if you need a haircut. 437% 438Don't bite the hand that has your pay check in it. 439% 440Don't fight with a bear in his own cage. 441% 442Don't force it, 443get a bigger hammer. 444% 445Don't let your superiors know you're better than 446they are. 447% 448Don't look back, something may be gaining on you. 449% 450Don't make your doctor your heir. 451% 452Don't mess with Mrs. Murphy! 453% 454Don't permit yourself to get between a dog and a lamppost. 455% 456Don't smoke in bed - the ashes on the floor might be your 457own. 458% 459Don't stop to stomp on ants 460when the elephants are stampeding. 461% 462During the time an item is on back-order, it will be 463available cheaper and quicker from many other sources. 464% 465Each problem solved introduces a new unsolved problem. 466% 467Easy doesn't do it. 468% 469Eat a live toad the first thing in the morning and nothing 470worse will happen to you the rest of the day. 471% 472Entropy has us outnumbered. 473% 474Envelopes and stamps which don't stick when you lick 475them will stick to other things when you don't want 476them to. 477% 478Even paranoids have enemies. 479% 480Even water tastes bad when taken on doctors orders. 481% 482Every great idea has a disadvantage equal to or 483exceeding the greatness of the idea. 484% 485Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects. 486% 487Everybody lies; but it doesn't matter, since 488nobody listens. 489% 490Everybody wants a pain shot at the same time. 491% 492Everybody who didn't want a pain shot when you were 493passing out pain shots wants one when you are passing 494out sleeping pills. 495% 496Everybody's gotta be someplace. 497% 498Everyone breaks more than the seven-year-bad-luck allotment 499to cover rotten luck throughout an entire lifetime. 500% 501Everyone gets away with something. 502No one gets away with everything. 503% 504Everyone has a scheme for getting rich that will not work. 505% 506Everything east of the San Andreas fault will eventually 507plunge into the Atlantic ocean. 508% 509Everything happens at the same time with nothing in between. 510% 511Everything is contagious. 512% 513Everything is revealed to he who turns over enough stones. 514(Including the snakes that he did not want to find.) 515% 516Everything may be divided into as many parts as you please. 517% 518Everything put together sooner or later falls apart. 519% 520Everything takes longer than you expect. 521% 522Exciting plays occur only while you are watching the 523scoreboard or out buying a hot dog. 524% 525Fact is solidified opinion. 526% 527Facts may weaken under extreme heat and pressure. 528% 529Far-away talent always seems better than home-developed 530talent. 531% 532Flynn is dead 533Tron is dead 534long live the MCP. 535% 536Fools rush in -- and get the best seats. 537% 538For every action, there is an equal and opposite 539criticism. 540% 541For every credibility gap there is a gullibility fill. 542% 543For every credibility gap there is a gullibility gap. 544% 545For every human problem, there is a neat, plain solution -- 546and it is always wrong. 547% 548For every vision, there is an equal and opposite revision. 549% 550Forgive and remember. 551% 552Freud's 23rd law: ideas endure and prosper in inverse 553proportion to their soundness and validity. 554% 555Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate. 556% 557Fuzzy project objectives are used to avoid the 558embarrassment of estimating the corresponding costs. 559% 560Go where the money is. 561% 562He who dies with the most toys wins. 563% 564He who hesitates is not only lost, but several miles from 565the next freeway exit. 566% 567He who laughs last -- probably didn't get the joke. 568% 569He who marries for money ... better be nice to his wife. 570% 571Hindsight is an exact science. 572% 573History doesn't repeat itself -- historians merely 574repeat each other. 575% 576History proves nothing. 577% 578History repeats itself. 579that's one of the things wrong with history. 580% 581Hockey is a game played by six good players and the 582home team. 583% 584Hollerith got us into this hole mess! 585% 586Hot glass looks exactly the same as cold glass. 587% 588How did they measure hail before the golf ball was invented? 589% 590How do they know no two snowflakes are alike? 591% 592How long a minute is depends on which side of the 593bathroom door you're on. 594% 595I can only please one person per day. 596Today is not your day. 597(Tomorrow isn't looking good either.) 598% 599I finally got it all together... 600but I forgot where I put it. 601% 602I have not lost my mind, it is backed up on tape somewhere. 603% 604I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, 605when you looked at it in the right way, did not become 606still more complicated. 607 -- Poul Anderson 608% 609I know you believe you understand 610 what you think I said, 611 however, I am not sure you realize, 612 that what I think you heard 613 is not what I meant 614% 615I no longer get lost in the shuffle.... 616I shuffle along with the lost. 617% 618I think ... therefore I am confused. 619% 620If a program is useful, it will be changed. 621% 622If a program is useless, it will be documented. 623% 624If a scientist uncovers a publishable fact, it will 625become central to his theory. 626 627His theory, in turn, will become central to all 628scientific truth. 629% 630If a series of events can go wrong, it will do so in 631the worst possible sequence. 632% 633If a situation requires undivided attention, it will 634occur simultaneously with a compelling distraction. 635% 636If a straight line fit is required, obtain only two 637data points. 638% 639If a thing is done wrong often enough 640it becomes right. 641% 642If an experiment works, you must be using the wrong 643equipment. 644% 645If an idea can survive a bureaucratic review and be 646implemented, it wasn't worth doing. 647% 648If an item is advertised as "under $50," you can bet 649it's not $19.95. 650% 651If anything can go wrong, it will. 652% 653If anything can't go wrong it will. 654% 655If at first you don't succeed ... get new batteries. 656% 657If at first you don't succeed, transform your dataset. 658% 659If at first you don't succeed, try something else. 660% 661If at first you don't succeed, 662blame it on your supervisor. 663% 664If daily class attendance is mandatory, a scheduled 665exam will produce increased absenteeism. If attendance 666is optional, a scheduled exam will produce persons you 667have never seen before. 668% 669If everybody doesn't want it, nobody gets it. 670% 671If everything is coming your way, you're in the 672wrong lane. 673% 674If everything seems to be going well, 675you obviously don't know what the hell is going on. 676% 677If facts do not conform to the theory, 678they must be disposed of. 679% 680If his IQ was any lower he'd be a plant. 681% 682If it can be borrowed and it can be broken, 683you will borrow it and 684you will break it. 685% 686If it happens, it must be possible. 687% 688If it jams --- force it. If it breaks, 689it needed replacing anyway. 690% 691If it sits on your desk for 15 minutes, you've just 692become the expert. 693% 694If it weren't for the opinion polls we'd never know 695what people are undecided about. 696% 697If it would be cheaper to buy a new unit, the company 698will insist upon repairing the old one. 699% 700If it would be cheaper to repair the old one, the 701company will insist on the latest model. 702% 703If it's clean, it isn't laundry. 704% 705If it's good, they discontinue it. 706% 707If it's good they will stop making it. 708% 709If it's not in the computer, it doesn't exist. 710% 711If more than one person is responsible for a 712miscalculation, no one will be at fault. 713% 714If Murphy's law can go wrong, it will. 715% 716If not controlled, work will flow to the competent 717man until he submerges. 718% 719If on an actuarial basis there is a 50/50 chance that 720something will go wrong, 721It will actually go wrong nine times out of ten. 722% 723If one views his problem closely enough he will 724recognize himself as part of the problem. 725% 726If only one price can be obtained for any quotation, 727the price will be unreasonable. 728% 729If opportunity came disguised as temptation, 730one knock would be enough. 731% 732If project content is allowed to change freely, the rate of 733change will exceed the rate of progress. 734% 735If reproducibility may be a problem conduct the 736test only once. 737% 738If several things that could have gone wrong have not 739gone wrong, it would have been ultimately beneficial 740for them to have gone wrong. 741% 742If the assumptions are wrong, 743the conclusions aren't likely to be very good. 744% 745If the course you wanted most has room for 'n' students 746you will be the 'n + 1' to apply. 747% 748If the faulty part is in stock, it didn't need replacing 749in the first place. 750% 751If there are only two shows worth watching, they will 752be on together. 753% 754If there isn't a law, there will be. 755% 756If there was any justice in this world, people would 757occasionally be permitted to fly over pigeons. 758% 759If things were left to chance, they'd be better. 760% 761If two wrongs don't make a right, try three. 762 -- Dr. Laurence J. Peter 763% 764If we learn by our mistakes, 765I'm getting one hell of an education!! 766% 767If you allow someone to get in front of you either: 768(1) The car in front will be the last one over a 769 railroad crossing, and you will be stuck waiting 770 for a long, slow-moving train; or 771(2) you both will have the same destination and the 772 other car will get the last parking space. 773% 774If you are already in a hole, there's no use to continue 775digging. 776% 777If you are given an open-book exam, you will forget 778your book. 779If you are given a take-home exam, you will forget 780where you live. 781% 782If you buy bananas or avocados before they are ripe, 783there won't be any left by the time they are ripe. If 784you buy them ripe, they rot before they are eaten. 785% 786If you can get the faulty part off, the parts house 787will have it back-ordered. 788% 789If you can get to the faulty part, you don't have the 790tool to get it off. 791% 792If you can keep your head when all about you are losing 793theirs, then you just don't understand the problem. 794% 795If you can't convince them, confuse them. 796% 797If you can't measure it, I'm not interested. 798% 799If you can't measure output then you measure input. 800% 801If you change lines, the one you just left will start 802to move faster than the one you are now in. 803% 804If you do something right once, someone will ask 805you to do it again. 806% 807If you don't care where you are, you ain't lost. 808% 809If you don't like the answer, 810you shouldn't have asked the question. 811% 812If you don't say it, they can't repeat it. 813% 814If you don't write to complain, you'll never receive 815your order. 816If you do write, you'll receive the merchandise before 817your angry letter reaches its destination. 818% 819If you fool around with a thing for very long you will 820screw it up. 821% 822If you have a difficult task give it to a lazy man, he 823will find an easier way to do it. 824% 825If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong. 826% 827If you have something to do, and you put it off long enough 828chances are someone else will do it for you. 829% 830If you have to ask, you are not entitled to know. 831% 832If you have to park six blocks away, you will find two 833new parking spaces right in front of the building 834entrance. 835% 836If you have watched a TV series only once, and you watch 837it again, it will be a rerun of the same episode. 838% 839If you help a friend in need, he is sure to remember 840you - the next time he's in need. 841% 842If you just try long enough and hard enough, you can always 843manage to boot yourself in the posterior. 844% 845If you know, you can't say. 846% 847If you leave the room, you're elected. 848% 849If you lived here you'd be home now. 850% 851If you plan to leave your mark in the sands of time, 852you better wear work shoes. 853% 854If you see a man approaching you with the obvious intent 855of doing you good, you should run for your life. 856% 857If you see that there are four possible ways in which a 858procedure can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a 859fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop. 860% 861If you smile when everything goes wrong, you are 862either a nitwit or a repairman. 863% 864If you try to please everybody, nobody will like it. 865% 866If you wait, it will go away 867... having done it's damage. 868If it was bad, it'll be back. 869% 870If you want to get along, go along. 871% 872If you want to make an enemy, do someone a favor. 873% 874If your condition seems to be getting better, it's 875probably your doctor getting sick. 876% 877If your next pot of chili tastes better, it probably is 878because of something left out, rather than added. 879% 880If you're coasting, you're going downhill. 881% 882If you're early, it'll be canceled. 883If you knock yourself out to be on time, you will 884 have to wait. 885If you're late, you will be too late. 886% 887If you're feeling good, don't worry, 888you'll get over it. 889% 890If you're wondering if you have enough money to take 891the family out to eat tonight, you don't. 892% 893If you're wondering if you left the coffee pot 894plugged in, you did. 895% 896If you're wondering if you need to stop and pick up 897bread and eggs on the way home, you do. 898% 899If you're wondering if you took the meat out to 900thaw, you didn't. 901% 902If you're worried about being crazy, 903don't be overly concerned: 904If you were, you would think you were sane. 905% 906If you've got them by the balls, 907their hearts and minds will follow. 908% 909Ignorance should be painful. 910% 911Important letters which contain no errors will develop 912errors in the mail. 913% 914In a bureaucratic hierarchy, the higher up the 915organization the less people appreciate Murphy's law, 916the Peter Principle, etc. 917% 918In a family recipe you just discovered in an old book, 919the most vital measurement will be illegible. 920% 921In a hierarchical organization, the higher the level, 922the greater the confusion. 923% 924In a hierarchical system, the rate of pay varies 925inversely with the unpleasantness and difficulty 926of the task. 927% 928In a three-story building served by one elevator, nine 929times out of ten the elevator car will be on a floor 930where you are not. 931% 932In any bureaucracy, paperwork increases as you spend 933more and more time reporting on the less and less you 934are doing. Stability is achieved when you spend all of 935your time reporting on the nothing you are doing. 936% 937In any dealings with a collective body of people, the 938people will always be more tacky than originally expected. 939% 940In any hierarchy, each individual rises to his own level 941of incompetence, and then remains there. 942% 943In any household, junk accumulates to the space 944available for its storage. 945% 946In any organization there will always be one person 947who knows what is going on. 948This person must be fired. 949% 950In any series of calculations, errors tend to occur 951at the opposite end to the end at which you begin 952checking for errors. 953% 954In case of doubt, make it sound convincing. 955% 956In order for something to become clean, something 957else must become dirty. 958... but you can get everything dirty without getting 959anything clean. 960% 961In the fight between you and the world, back the world. 962% 963Incompetence knows no barriers of time or place. 964% 965Indecision is the basis for flexibility. 966% 967Indifference is the only sure defense. 968% 969Information deteriorates upward through the bureaucracies. 970% 971Information travels more surely to those with a 972lesser need to know. 973% 974Inside every large program 975is a small program struggling to get out. 976% 977Interchangeable parts --- won't. 978% 979It always takes longer to get there than to get back. 980% 981It does not matter if you fall down as long as you pick 982up something from the floor while you get up. 983% 984It is a simple task to make things complex, but a complex 985task to make them simple. 986% 987It is better for civilization to be going down the drain, 988than to be coming up it. 989% 990It is better to be part of the idle rich class 991than be part of the idle poor class. 992% 993It is better to solve a problem with a crude 994approximation and know the truth, than to demand an 995exact solution and not know the truth at all. 996% 997It is easier to get forgiveness than permission. 998% 999It is far better to do nothing than to do 1000something efficiently. 1001 -- Siezbo 1002% 1003It is impossible for an optimist to be pleasantly 1004surprised. 1005% 1006It is impossible to build a fool proof system; 1007because fools are so ingenious. 1008% 1009It is ok to be ignorant in some areas, 1010but some people abuse the privilege. 1011% 1012It takes longer to glue a vase together than to 1013break one. 1014% 1015It takes longer to lose 'x' number of pounds than 1016to gain 'x' number of pounds. 1017% 1018It the shoe fits, it's ugly. 1019% 1020It works better if you plug it in. 1021% 1022It's always darkest before ... daylight saving time. 1023% 1024It's always darkest just before the lights go out. 1025 -- Alex Clark 1026% 1027It's always easier to go down hill, but the view is 1028from the top. 1029% 1030It's always the wrong time of the month. 1031% 1032It's better to retire too soon than too late. 1033% 1034It's tough to get reallocated when you're the one 1035who's redundant. 1036% 1037Just about the time when you think you can make ends meet 1038somebody moves the ends! 1039% 1040Just because you are paranoid 1041doesn't mean "they" aren't out to get you. 1042% 1043Just because your doctor has a name for your condition 1044doesn't mean he knows what it is. 1045% 1046Just when you get really good at something, 1047you don't need to do it anymore. 1048% 1049Justice always prevails... 1050three times out of seven. 1051% 1052Keep emotionally active, 1053cater to your favorite neurosis. 1054% 1055King Arthur ran the first knight club. 1056% 1057Laugh and the world laughs with you. cry and ... 1058you have to blow your nose. 1059% 1060Law expands in proportion to the resources available 1061for its enforcement. 1062% 1063Laziness is the mother of nine inventions out of ten. 1064% 1065Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way!! 1066% 1067Leakproof seals --- will. 1068% 1069Learn to be sincere. Even if you have to fake it. 1070% 1071Left to themselves, all things go from bad to worse. 1072% 1073Leftover nuts never match leftover bolts. 1074% 1075Life is like an ice-cream cone: You have to learn to 1076lick it. 1077% 1078Liquidity tends to run out. 1079% 1080Live within your income, 1081even if you have to borrow to do so. 1082% 1083Magellan was the first strait man. 1084% 1085Make it possible for programmers to write programs 1086in English and you will find that programmers cannot 1087write in English. 1088% 1089Make three correct guesses consecutively and you will 1090establish yourself as an expert. 1091% 1092Management can't. 1093% 1094Mass man must be serviced by mass means. 1095% 1096Misery no longer loves company 1097nowadays it insists on it. 1098% 1099Most people want to be delivered from temptation but 1100would like it to keep in touch. 1101% 1102Most projects require three hands. 1103% 1104Multiple-function gadgets will not perform any 1105function adequately. 1106% 1107Murphy's rule for precision: 1108 Measure with a micrometer 1109 Mark with chalk 1110 Cut with an axe 1111% 1112Nature always sides with the hidden flaw. 1113% 1114Nature is a mother. 1115% 1116Nature will tell you a direct lie if she can. 1117% 1118Never admit anything. 1119Never regret anything 1120whatever it is, you're not responsible. 1121% 1122Never argue with a fool, 1123people might not know the difference. 1124% 1125Never argue with an artist. 1126% 1127Never be first to do anything. 1128% 1129Never create a problem for which you do not have 1130the answer. 1131% 1132Never eat prunes when you are famished. 1133% 1134Never get excited about a blind date because of how 1135it sounds over the phone. 1136% 1137Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died. 1138 -- Erma Bombeck 1139% 1140Never insult an alligator 1141until after you have crossed the river. 1142% 1143Never leave hold of what you've got until you've got hold 1144of something else. 1145% 1146Never make a decision you can get someone else to make. 1147% 1148Never needlessly disturb a thing at rest. 1149% 1150Never offend people with style 1151when you can offend them with substance. 1152% 1153Never play leapfrog with a photo enlarger. 1154% 1155Never play leapfrog with a unicorn. 1156% 1157Never put all your eggs in your pocket. 1158% 1159Never say "oops" after you have submitted a job. 1160% 1161Never tell them what you wouldn't do. 1162% 1163Never test for an error condition you don't know 1164how to handle. 1165% 1166Never wrestle with a pig; you both get dirty, and the pig 1167likes it! 1168% 1169New systems generate new problems. 1170% 1171No experiment is ever a complete failure. 1172It can always be used as a bad example. 1173% 1174No good deed goes unpunished. 1175 -- Clare Boothe Luce 1176% 1177No major project is ever installed on time, within budgets, 1178with the same staff that started it. Yours will not be the 1179first. 1180% 1181No man is lonely while eating spaghetti. 1182% 1183No matter how large the work space, if two projects 1184must be done at the same time they will require the 1185same part of the work space. 1186% 1187No matter how long or hard you shop for an item, after 1188you have bought it, it will be on sale somewhere cheaper. 1189% 1190No matter how minor the task, you will inevitably end 1191up covered with grease and motor oil. 1192% 1193No matter how strong the breeze when you leave the dock 1194once you have reached the furthest point from port 1195the wind will die. 1196% 1197No matter what goes wrong, there is always somebody 1198who knew it would. 1199% 1200No matter what happens, there is always somebody 1201who knew that it would. 1202% 1203No matter what they're talking about, they're 1204talking about money. 1205% 1206No matter what they're telling you, they're not 1207telling you the whole truth. 1208% 1209No matter which direction you start, 1210it's always against the wind coming back. 1211% 1212No news is ... impossible. 1213% 1214No one keeps a record of decisions you could have made 1215but didn't. Everyone keeps a records of your bad ones. 1216% 1217No one's life, liberty, or property are safe 1218while the legislature is in session. 1219% 1220No system is ever completely debugged: Attempts to debug 1221a system will inevitably introduce new bugs that are even 1222harder to find. 1223% 1224Nobody notices when things go right. 1225% 1226Nothing improves an innovation like lack of controls. 1227% 1228Nothing is ever accomplished by a reasonable man. 1229% 1230Nothing is ever as simple as it seems. 1231% 1232Nothing is ever done for the right reasons. 1233% 1234Nothing is ever so bad it can't be made worse by 1235firing the coach. 1236% 1237Nothing is ever so bad that it can't get worse. 1238% 1239Nothing is impossible for the person who doesn't have 1240to do it himself/herself. 1241% 1242Nothing is indestructible, with the possible exception 1243of discount-priced fruitcakes. 1244% 1245Of two possible events, 1246only the undesired one will occur. 1247% 1248Office machines which function perfectly during normal 1249business hours will break down when you return to the 1250office at night to use them for personal business. 1251% 1252Old age is always fifteen years older than I am. 1253% 1254Old programmers never die - they just abend. 1255% 1256On a beautiful day like this it's hard to believe anyone 1257can be unhappy -- but we will work on it. 1258% 1259On a clear disk, you can seek forever. 1260% 1261On successive charts of the same organization, the number of 1262boxes will never decrease. 1263% 1264Once a dish is fouled up, anything added to save it 1265only makes it worse. 1266% 1267One man's error is another man's data. 1268% 1269One place where you're sure to find the perfect 1270driver is in the back seat. 1271% 1272Only a mediocre person is always at their best. 1273% 1274Only adults have difficulty with child-proof bottles. 1275% 1276Only errors exist. 1277% 1278Opportunity always knocks at the least opportune 1279moment. 1280% 1281Other people's romantic gestures seem novel and exciting. 1282 1283Your own romantic gestures seem foolish and clumsy. 1284% 1285Our customers' paperwork is profit. 1286Our own paperwork is loss. 1287% 1288People are promoted not by what they can do, but what 1289people think they can do. 1290% 1291People can be divided into three groups: 1292Those who make things happen, 1293Those who watch things happen and 1294Those who wonder what happened. 1295% 1296People don't change; they only become more so. 1297% 1298People in systems do not do what the systems say 1299they are doing. 1300% 1301People to whom you are attracted invariably think you 1302remind them of someone else. 1303% 1304People who love sausage and respect the law should 1305never watch either one being made. 1306% 1307People will accept your idea much more readily if you tell 1308them Benjamin Franklin said it first. 1309% 1310People will believe anything if you whisper it. 1311% 1312People will buy anything that is one to a customer. 1313% 1314Performance is directly affected by the perversity of 1315inanimate objects. 1316% 1317Personnel recruiting is a triumph of hope over 1318experience. 1319% 1320Persons disagreeing with your facts are always emotional 1321and employ faulty reasoning. 1322% 1323Pills to be taken in twos always come 1324out of the bottle in threes. 1325% 1326Please don't steal, the IRS hates competition! 1327% 1328Possessions increase to fill the space available for 1329their storage. 1330% 1331Program complexity grows until it exceeds the capability 1332of the programmer who must maintain it. 1333% 1334Program design philosophy: 1335 1336 Start at the beginning and continue until the end, 1337 then stop. 1338 -- Lewis Carroll 1339% 1340Progress does not consist in replacing a theory that is 1341wrong with one that is right. It consists in replacing 1342a theory that is wrong with one that is more subtly wrong. 1343% 1344Progress is made on alternate Fridays. 1345% 1346Pure drivel tends to drive ordinary 1347drivel off the TV screen. 1348% 1349Quit while you're still behind. 1350% 1351RACF is a four letter word. 1352% 1353Real programmers always have a better idea. 1354% 1355Real programmers are kind to rookies. 1356% 1357Real programmers are secure enough to write readable code, 1358which they then self-righteously refuse to explain. 1359% 1360Real programmers argue with the systems analyst as a 1361matter of principle. 1362% 1363Real programmers can do octal, hexadecimal and 1364binary math in their heads. 1365% 1366Real programmers do not apply DP terminology to non-DP 1367situations. 1368% 1369Real programmers do not document. 1370Documentation is for simps who can't read listings or 1371object code. 1372% 1373Real programmers do not eat breakfast from the 1374vending machines. 1375% 1376Real programmers do not practice four-syllable words before 1377walkthroughs. 1378% 1379Real programmers do not read books like 1380"effective listening" and "communication skills". 1381% 1382Real programmers do not utter profanities at an elevated 1383decibel level. 1384% 1385Real programmers don't advertise their hangovers. 1386% 1387Real programmers don't announce how many times the 1388operations department called them last night. 1389% 1390Real programmers don't comment their code. if it is hard 1391to write, it should be hard to understand. 1392% 1393Real programmers don't dress for success unless 1394they are trying to convince others that they are 1395going on interviews. 1396% 1397Real programmers don't eat muffins. 1398% 1399Real programmers don't eat quiche. In fact, real 1400programmers don't know how to spell quiche. They eat 1401Twinkies and szechuan food. 1402% 1403Real programmers don't grumble about the disadvantages 1404of Cobol when they don't know any other language. 1405% 1406Real programmers don't notch their desks for each 1407completed service request. 1408% 1409Real programmers don't number paragraph names 1410consecutively. 1411% 1412Real programmers don't play tennis or any other sport 1413that requires you to change clothes. Mountain climbing is 1414O.K., and real programmers wear their climbing boots to work 1415in case a mountain should suddenly spring up in the middle 1416of the machine room. 1417% 1418Real programmers don't play video games, they write them. 1419% 1420Real programmers don't write applications programs; they 1421program right down on the bare metal. Application 1422programming is for feebs who can't do systems programming. 1423% 1424Real programmers don't write COBOL. 1425COBOL is for wimpy applications programmers. 1426% 1427Real programmers don't write in Basic. Actually, no 1428programmers write in Basic after age 12. 1429% 1430Real programmers don't write in Pascal, Bliss, or Ada, or 1431any of those pinko computer science languages. Strong 1432typing is for people with weak memories. 1433% 1434Real programmers don't write in PL/1. PL/1 is for 1435programmers who can't decide whether to write in 1436COBOL or Fortran. 1437% 1438Real programmers don't write memos. 1439% 1440Real programmers don't write specs -- users should 1441consider themselves lucky to get any programs at all and 1442take what they get. 1443% 1444Real programmers drink too much coffee so that they will 1445always seem tense and overworked. 1446% 1447Real programmers have read the standards manual 1448but won't admit it. 1449% 1450Real programmers know it's not operations' 1451fault if their jobs go into "hogs". 1452% 1453Real programmers know what saad means. 1454% 1455Real programmers never work 9 to 5. If any real 1456programmers are around at 9 a.m., it's because they 1457were up all night. 1458% 1459Real programmers print only clean compiles, 1460fixing all errors through the terminal. 1461% 1462Real programmer's programs never work the first time. But 1463if you throw them on the machine, they can be patched into 1464working in "only a few" 30-hour debugging sessions. 1465% 1466Real programmers punch up their own programs. 1467% 1468Real programmers understand Pascal. 1469% 1470Remain silent about your intentions until you are sure 1471% 1472Remember the golden rule: 1473Those that have the gold make the rules. 1474% 1475Return on investments won't. 1476% 1477Roses are red violets are blue 1478I am schizophrenic and so am I 1479% 1480Sale promotions don't. 1481% 1482Sanity and insanity overlap a fine gray line. 1483% 1484Science is true. Don't be misled by facts. 1485% 1486Security isn't. 1487% 1488Self starters --- won't. 1489% 1490Show me a person who's never made a mistake and I'll 1491show you somebody who's never achieved much. 1492% 1493Simple jobs always get put off because there will be 1494time to do them later. 1495% 1496Some come to the fountain of knowledge to drink, 1497some prefer to just gargle. 1498% 1499Some errors will always go unnoticed until the book 1500is in print. 1501% 1502Some of it plus the rest of it is all of it. 1503% 1504Souffles rise and cream whips only for the family and 1505for guests you didn't really want to invite anyway. 1506% 1507Success can be insured only by devising a defense against 1508failure of the contingency plan. 1509% 1510Superiority is recessive. 1511% 1512Systems should not be unnecessarily multiplied. 1513% 1514Systems tend to grow and as they grow they encroach. 1515% 1516Talent in staff work or sales will continually be 1517interpreted as managerial ability. 1518% 1519Teamwork is essential. It allows you to blame someone else. 1520% 1521That component of any circuit which has the shortest 1522service life will be placed in the least 1523accessible location. 1524% 1525The amount of flak received on any subject is inversely 1526proportional to the subject's true value. 1527% 1528The amount of wind will vary inversely with the number 1529and experience of the people you have on board. 1530% 1531The best shots are generally attempted through the 1532lens cap. 1533% 1534The best shots happen immediately after the last 1535frame is exposed. 1536% 1537The best way to inspire fresh thoughts is to seal 1538the letter. 1539% 1540The best way to lie is to tell the truth..... 1541carefully edited truth. 1542% 1543The big guys always win. 1544% 1545The bigger they are, the harder they hit. 1546% 1547The boss who attempts to impress employees with his 1548knowledge of intricate details has lost sight of his 1549final objective. 1550% 1551The chance of a piece of bread falling with the buttered 1552side down is directly proportional to the cost of the 1553carpet. 1554% 1555The chances of anybody doing anything are inversely 1556proportional to the number of other people who are in 1557a position to do it instead. 1558% 1559The chief cause of problems is solutions. 1560 -- Eric Sevareid 1561% 1562The client who pays the least complains the most 1563% 1564The closer you are to the facts of a situation, the 1565more obvious are the errors in all news coverage of 1566the situation. 1567% 1568The "consumer report" on the item will come out a week 1569after you've made your purchase: 1570 1571(1) The one you bought will be rated "unacceptable". 1572(2) The one you almost bought will be rated "best buy". 1573% 1574The cream rises to the top. 1575So does the scum. 1576% 1577The crucial memorandum will be snared in the out-basket by 1578the paper clip of the overlying memo and go to file. 1579% 1580The deficiency will never show itself during the test runs. 1581% 1582The distance to the gate is inversely proportional 1583to the time available to catch your flight. 1584% 1585The early worm deserves the bird. 1586% 1587The easiest way to find something lost around the house 1588is to buy a replacement. 1589% 1590The faster the plane, 1591the narrower the seats. 1592% 1593The feasibility of an operation is not the best 1594indication for its performance. 1595% 1596The final test is when it goes production ... 1597w h e n i t g o e s p r o d u c t i o n ... 1598w h e n i t g o e s p r o d u c t 1599w h e n i t g o e s p r o 1600% 1601The first 90 percent of the task takes 90 percent of the 1602time, the last 10 percent takes the other 90 percent. 1603% 1604The first bug to hit a clean windshield lands directly 1605in front of your eyes. 1606% 1607The first insurance agent was David - 1608he gave Goliath a piece of the rock. 1609% 1610The first myth of management is that it exists 1611the second myth of management is that success equals skill. 1612% 1613The first page the author turns to upon receiving an 1614advance copy will be the page containing the worst 1615error. 1616% 1617The first place to look for anything is the last place 1618you would expect to find it. 1619% 1620The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to 1621save all of the parts. 1622% 1623The first time is for love. 1624The next time is $200. 1625% 1626The further away the disaster or accident occurs, the 1627greater the number of dead and injured required for it 1628to become a story. 1629% 1630The further you are from the facts of a situation, 1631the more you tend to believe news coverage of the 1632situation. 1633% 1634The greater the cost of putting a plan into operation, 1635the less chance there is of abandoning the plan - even 1636if it subsequently becomes irrelevant. 1637% 1638The hand that rocks the cradle usually is attached 1639to someone who isn't getting enough sleep. 1640% 1641The hidden flaw never remains hidden. 1642% 1643The higher the level of prestige accorded the people 1644behind the plan, the least less chance there is of 1645abandoning it. 1646% 1647The inside contact that you have developed at great 1648expense is the first person to be let go in any 1649reorganization. 1650% 1651The item you had your eye on the minute you walked in 1652will be taken by the person in front of you. 1653% 1654The lagging activity in a project will invariably be found 1655in the area where the highest overtime rates lie waiting. 1656% 1657The last person who quit or was fired will be held 1658responsible for everything that goes wrong -- until 1659the next person quits or is fired. 1660% 1661The least experienced fisherman always catches the 1662biggest fish. 1663% 1664The length of a marriage is inversely proportional 1665to the amount spent on the wedding. 1666% 1667The life expectancy of a house plant varies inversely 1668with its price and directly with its ugliness. 1669% 1670The light at the end of the tunnel can be a helluva 1671nuisance, especially if you're using the tunnel 1672as a darkroom. 1673% 1674The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of 1675an oncoming train. 1676% 1677The light at the end of the tunnel really is a train. 1678% 1679The lion and the calf shall lie down together, 1680but the calf won't get much sleep. 1681% 1682The longer the title the less important the job. 1683% 1684The longer you wait in line, the greater the 1685likelihood that you are standing in the wrong line. 1686% 1687The love letter you finally got the courage to send 1688will be delayed in the mail long enough for you to 1689make a fool of yourself in person. 1690% 1691The man who can smile when things go wrong has thought of 1692someone he can blame it on. 1693% 1694The man who has no more problems is out of the game. 1695% 1696The meek shall inherit the earth, 1697but not its mineral rights. 1698% 1699The meek will inherit the earth 1700after the rest of us go to the stars. 1701% 1702The more boring and out-of-date the magazines in the 1703waiting room, the longer you will have to wait for 1704your scheduled appointment. 1705% 1706The more carefully you plan a project, the more 1707confusion there is when something goes wrong. 1708% 1709The more complicated and grandiose the plan, the 1710greater the chance of failure. 1711% 1712The more directives you issue to solve a problem, 1713the worse it gets. 1714% 1715The more elaborate and costly the equipment, the greater 1716the chance of having to stop at the fish market 1717on the way home. 1718% 1719The more expensive the gadget, the less often you 1720will use it. 1721% 1722The more general the title of a course, the less 1723you will learn from it. 1724% 1725The more ridiculous a belief system, 1726the higher probability of its success. 1727% 1728The more specific the title of a course, the less you 1729will be able to apply it later. 1730% 1731The more studying you did for the exam, the less sure 1732you are as to which answer they want. 1733% 1734The more time and energy you put into preparing a meal 1735the greater the chance your guests will spend the entire 1736meal discussing other meals they have had. 1737% 1738The most important item in an order will no longer 1739be available. 1740% 1741The most interesting specimen will not be labeled. 1742% 1743The most valuable quotation will be the one for which 1744you cannot determine the source. 1745% 1746The mountain gets steeper as you get closer. 1747% 1748The mountain looks closer than it is. 1749% 1750The one course you must take to graduate will not be 1751offered during your last semester. 1752% 1753The one day you'd sell your soul for something, 1754souls are a glut. 1755% 1756The one ingredient you made a special trip to the store 1757to get will be the one thing your guest is allergic to. 1758% 1759The one thing that money can not buy is poverty. 1760% 1761The one time in the day that you lean back and relax 1762is the one time the boss walks through the office. 1763% 1764The one who least wants to play is the one who will win. 1765% 1766The one who snores will fall asleep first. 1767% 1768The one wrench or drill bit you need will be the one 1769missing from the tool chest. 1770% 1771The one you want is never the one on sale. 1772% 1773The only game that can't be fixed is peek-a-boo. 1774% 1775The only new TV show worth watching will be canceled. 1776% 1777The only way to make up for being lost is to make 1778record time while you are lost. 1779% 1780The only winner in the war of 1812 was Tchaikovsky. 1781% 1782The organization of any program reflects the organization 1783of the people who developed it. 1784% 1785The other line always moves faster. 1786% 1787The phone will not ring until you leave your desk and walk 1788to the other end of the building. 1789% 1790The pills to be taken with meals will be the least 1791appetizing ones. 1792% 1793The primary function of the design engineer is to make 1794things difficult for the fabricator and impossible 1795for the serviceman. 1796% 1797The probability of a cat eating its dinner has 1798absolutely nothing to do with the price of the food 1799placed before it. 1800% 1801The probability of anything happening is in 1802inverse ratio to its desirability. 1803% 1804The probability of meeting someone you know increases 1805when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with. 1806% 1807The probability that a household pet will raise a fuss 1808to go in or out is directly proportional to the number 1809and importance of your dinner guests. 1810% 1811The quality of correlation is inversely proportional 1812to the density of control. 1813% 1814The quickest way to experiment with acupuncture is to 1815try on a new shirt. 1816% 1817The race goes not always to the swift, nor the battle 1818to the strong, but that's the way to bet. 1819% 1820The radiologists' national flower is the hedge. 1821% 1822The ratio of time involved in work to time available for 1823work is usually about 0.6 1824% 1825The repairman will never have seen a model quite like 1826yours before. 1827% 1828The road to hell is paved with good intentions 1829and littered with sloppy analyses! 1830% 1831The rotten egg will be the one you break into the 1832cake batter. 1833% 1834The scratch on the record is always through the song 1835you like most. 1836% 1837The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake 1838that you've got it made. 1839% 1840The severity of an itch is inversely proportional 1841to the reach. 1842% 1843The simpler the instruction, e.g. "press here", the 1844more difficult it will be to open the package. 1845% 1846The six steps of program management are: 1847(1) Wild enthusiasm 1848(2) Disenchantment 1849(3) Total confusion 1850(4) Search for guilty 1851(5) Punishment for the innocent 1852(6) Promotion of the non-participants 1853% 1854The slowest checker is always at the quick-check-out 1855lane. 1856% 1857The source for an unattributed quotation will appear 1858in the most hostile review of your work. 1859% 1860The speed of an oncoming vehicle is directly proportional 1861to the length of the passing zone. 1862% 1863The spot you are scrubbing on glassware is always on 1864the other side. 1865% 1866The stomach expands to accommodate the amount of 1867junk food available. 1868% 1869The success of any venture will be helped by prayer, 1870even in the wrong denomination. 1871% 1872The sun goes down just when you need it the most. 1873% 1874The system itself does not do what it says it is doing. 1875% 1876The tendency of smoke from a cigarette, barbecue, 1877campfire, etc. to drift into a person's face varies 1878directly with that person's sensitivity to smoke. 1879% 1880The "think positive" leader tends to listen to his 1881subordinate's premonitions only during the postmortems. 1882% 1883The time available to go fishing shrinks as the fishing 1884season draws nearer. 1885% 1886The time it takes to rectify a situation is 1887inversely proportional to the time it took 1888to do the damage. 1889% 1890The total behavior of large systems cannot be predicted. 1891% 1892The TV show you've been looking forward to all week 1893will be preempted. 1894% 1895The usefulness of any meeting 1896is in inverse proportion to the attendance. 1897% 1898The value of a program is proportional 1899to the weight of its output. 1900% 1901The worse your line is tangled, the better is the 1902fishing around you. 1903% 1904The wrong quarterback is the one that's in there. 1905% 1906The yoo-hoo you yoo-hoo into the forest is the yoo-hoo you 1907get back. 1908% 1909Them what gets--has. 1910% 1911There are no winners in life: Only survivors. 1912% 1913There are some things which are impossible to know - 1914but it is impossible to know these things. 1915% 1916There are three ways to get things done: 1917 (1) Do it yourself, 1918 (2) Hire someone to do it, or 1919 (3) Forbid your kids to do it. 1920% 1921There are two kinds of adhesive tape: That which won't 1922stay on and that which won't come off. 1923% 1924There is a solution to every problem; 1925the only difficulty is finding it. 1926% 1927There is always more dirty laundry then clean laundry. 1928% 1929There is always one more bug. 1930% 1931There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else. 1932% 1933There is no such thing as a "dirty capitalist", 1934only a capitalist. 1935% 1936There is no such thing as a straight line. 1937% 1938There is nothing more frightening than ignorance in action. 1939% 1940There's never time to do it right, but there's always 1941time to do it over. 1942% 1943There's no time like the present for postponing 1944what you don't want to do. 1945% 1946Things equal to nothing else are equal to each other. 1947% 1948Things get worse under pressure. 1949% 1950This space for rent. 1951% 1952Those whose approval you seek the most give you the least. 1953% 1954Those with the best advice offer no advice. 1955% 1956Time spent consuming a meal is in inverse proportion 1957to time spent preparing it. 1958% 1959To err is human -- to blame it on someone else is 1960even more human. 1961% 1962To err is human, but to really foul things up requires 1963a computer. 1964% 1965To err is human, to forgive is divine -- 1966but to forget it altogether is humane. 1967% 1968To get a loan, you must first prove you don't need it. 1969% 1970To know yourself is the ultimate form of aggression. 1971% 1972To spot the expert, pick the one who predicts the job 1973will take the longest and cost the most. 1974% 1975Trial balances don't. 1976% 1977Truth is elastic. 1978% 1979Unless the results are known in advance, funding 1980agencies will reject the proposal. 1981% 1982Unless you intend to kill him immediately; never kick a man 1983in the balls, not even symbolically or perhaps especially 1984not symbolically. 1985% 1986Upon returning home, the exchange rate drops again as 1987soon as one has converted all unused foreign currency. 1988% 1989Usefulness is inversely proportional to its reputation 1990for being useful. 1991% 1992Vital papers will demonstrate their vitality by 1993spontaneously moving from where you left them to where 1994you can't find them. 1995% 1996Washing machines only break down during the wash cycle. 1997% 1998Washing your car to make it rain doesn't work. 1999% 2000"Watching a birdie" in hand is safer than watching 2001one overhead. 2002% 2003Whatever can go to New York, will. 2004% 2005Whatever carrousel you stand by, your baggage will 2006come in on another one. 2007% 2008Whatever creates the greatest inconvenience for the largest 2009number must happen. 2010% 2011Whatever happens to you, it will previously have 2012happened to everyone you know only more so. 2013% 2014Whatever hits the fan will not be evenly distributed. 2015% 2016Whatever it is, somebody will have had it for lunch. 2017% 2018When a broken appliance is demonstrated for the repairman, 2019it will work perfectly. 2020% 2021When a distinguished scientist states something is possible, 2022he is almost certainly right. When he states that 2023something is impossible, he is very probably wrong. 2024% 2025When a student asks for a second time if you have read 2026his book report, he did not read the book. 2027% 2028When a writer prepares a manuscript on a subject he does 2029not understand, his work will be understood only by 2030readers who know more about that subject than he does. 2031% 2032When all else fails, read the instructions. 2033% 2034When an exaggerated emphasis is placed upon delegation, 2035responsibility, like sediment, sinks to the bottom. 2036% 2037When in doubt, don't mumble, overexpose ... then mumble. 2038% 2039When in doubt, mumble. When in trouble, delegate. 2040% 2041When in doubt, mumble. 2042When in trouble, delegate. 2043When in charge, ponder. 2044% 2045When in doubt, predict that the trend will continue. 2046% 2047When in trouble, obfuscate. 2048% 2049When life hands you a lemon, make lemonade. 2050% 2051When more and more people are thrown out of work, 2052unemployment results. 2053% 2054When necessary, metric and inch tools can be used 2055interchangeably. 2056% 2057When outrageous expenditures are divided finely enough 2058the public will not have enough stake in any one 2059expenditure to squelch it. 2060% 2061When properly administered, vacations do not diminish 2062productivity. For every week you are away and get nothing 2063done, there is another week when your boss is away and you 2064get twice as much done. 2065% 2066When putting it into memory, remember where you put it. 2067% 2068When reviewing your notes before an exam, the most 2069important ones will be illegible. 2070% 2071When somebody drops something, everybody will kick it 2072around instead of picking it up. 2073% 2074When the going gets tough, everyone leaves. 2075 -- Lynch 2076% 2077When the government bureau's remedies do not match your 2078problem, you modify the problem, not the remedy. 2079% 2080When the need arises, any tool or object closest to you 2081becomes a hammer. 2082% 2083When the product is destined to fail, the delivery system 2084will perform perfectly. 2085% 2086When they want it bad (in a rush), they get it bad. 2087% 2088When things are going well, someone will inevitably 2089experiment detrimentally. 2090% 2091When things are going well, something will go wrong. 2092When things just can't get any worse, they will. 2093When things appear to be going better you have overlooked 2094something. 2095% 2096When traveling overseas, the exchange rate improves 2097markedly the day after one has purchased foreign 2098currency. 2099% 2100When we try to pick out anything by itself we find 2101it hitched to everything else in the universe. 2102% 2103When working toward the solution of a problem, 2104it always helps if you know the answer. 2105Provided of course you know there is a problem. 2106% 2107When you are able to schedule two classes in a row, 2108they will be held in classrooms at opposite end of 2109the campus. 2110% 2111When you are right be logical, 2112when you are wrong be-fuddle. 2113% 2114When you are sure you're right, you have a moral duty 2115to impose your will upon anyone who disagrees with you. 2116% 2117When you consider there are 24 hours in a day, it's 2118sad to know that only one is called the happy hour. 2119% 2120When you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal 2121% 2122When you do not know what you are doing, do it neatly. 2123% 2124When you need to knock on wood is when you realize the 2125world's composed of aluminum and vinyl. 2126% 2127When your opponent is down, kick him. 2128% 2129When you're not in a hurry, the traffic light will turn 2130green as soon as your vehicle comes to a complete stop. 2131% 2132Whenever a superstar is traded to your favorite team, 2133he fades. Whenever your team trades away a useless 2134no-name, he immediately rises to stardom. 2135% 2136Whenever you cut your fingernails you will find a 2137need for them an hour later. 2138% 2139Where you stand on an issue depends on where you sit. 2140% 2141Why worry about tomorrow? We may not make it through today! 2142% 2143Win or lose, you lose. 2144% 2145Work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet 2146reached their level of incompetence. 2147% 2148Work may be the crabgrass of life, but money is still the 2149water that keeps it green. 2150% 2151Workers won't. 2152% 2153Working capital doesn't. 2154% 2155Writings prepared without understanding must fail in the 2156first objective of communication -- informing 2157the uninformed. 2158% 2159You are always complimented on the item which took the 2160least effort to prepare. 2161 2162Example: 2163 If you make "duck a l'orange" you will be 2164 complimented on the baked potato. 2165% 2166You are never given enough time or money. 2167% 2168You are not drunk if you can lay on the floor without 2169holding on. 2170% 2171You can always find what you're not looking for. 2172% 2173You can lead a horse to water, but if you can get him to 2174float on his back, you've really got something. 2175% 2176You can never do just one thing. 2177 -- Hardin 2178% 2179You can pray hard enough to make water run uphill 2180how hard? 2181Hard enough to make water run uphill. 2182% 2183You can't expect to hit the jackpot 2184if you don't put a few nickels in the machine. 2185% 2186You can't fix it if it ain't broke. 2187% 2188You can't guard against the arbitrary. 2189% 2190You can't tell how deep a puddle is until you step into it. 2191% 2192You don't have to be crazy to work here 2193but it sure helps!!!!!!! 2194% 2195You may be recognized soon. 2196Hide! 2197If they find you, lie. 2198% 2199You may know where the market is going, but you can't 2200possibly know where it's going after that. 2201% 2202You never have the right number of pills left on the 2203last day of a prescription. 2204% 2205You never know who's right, but you always know 2206who's in charge. 2207% 2208You sure have to borrow a lot of money these days to 2209be an average consumer. 2210% 2211You will always find something in the last place you look. 2212% 2213You will remember that you forgot to take out the trash 2214when the garbage truck is two doors away. 2215% 2216You will save yourself a lot of needless worry if you 2217don't burn your bridges until you come to them. 2218% 2219You win some, lose some, and some get rained out; but you 2220gotta suit up for them all. 2221% 2222