Sayings & Anecdotes
Betteridge's Law of Headlines
An adage holding that any news headline ending in a question mark can be answered by the word "no" — because if the answer were yes, the publisher would have stated it as fact.
Boiled Frog
An anecdote describing a frog in a pot of water where the water's temperature is gradually raised to the point of killing the frog without their noticing, but if the frog is placed instantly in hot water, it would jump out immediately.
Cobra Effect
When a solution to a problem unintentionally makes it worse. Named after a colonial bounty on cobras in India that led people to breed cobras for the reward.
elda för kråkorna
Putting effort into something that goes unnoticed or unappreciated — like heating a room with the windows wide open, where only the crows outside benefit.
Gate's Law
The adage from Bill Gates that, "Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years."
Hanlon's Razor
The aphorism which reminds us to never attribute to malice something that can simply be explained by incompetence.
Hofstadter's Law
The axiom that "it always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law."
Joy's Law
An aphorism that "no matter who you are, most of the smartest people work for someone else."
Matthew Effect
Matthew Principle
The old adage "for to him who has, will more be given..." — that those with existing status, privilege, wealth, etc. stand to benefit even more from it, compared to those without starting resources. In other words,"the rich get richer and the poor get poorer."
Murphy's Law
Sod's Law · Finagle's Law
The observation that if something can go wrong, it eventually will. A reminder to design for failure and plan for the unexpected rather than assuming the best case.
Shaggy Dog Story
Shaggy Dog Yarn
A long-winded anecdote characterized by extensive narration, of typically irrelevant incidents, and terminated by an anticlimax or a pointless punchline.
Stock–Sanford Corollary
A humorous corollary to Parkinson's Law: "If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute to do." A tongue-in-cheek defense of procrastination.
Sturgeon's Law
Sturgeon's Revelation
The observation that "ninety percent of everything is crap." Named after sci-fi author Theodore Sturgeon, it's a reminder to judge any field by its best work, not its worst.
Swan Song
A metaphorical phrase for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement.
Third Rail
A metaphor for an issue that is controversial to the point of being "untouchable" that to broach the subject will cause damage. The metaphor comes from the high-voltage third rail in some electric railway systems.
Yak Shaving
The process of performing a series of tasks (often nested inside completing other tasks, like side quests) to accomplish a goal, each of which seems necessary in context but becomes less and less linked to the original goal.