Adages named after people

This is a list of adages named after people (eponymous adages). For other lists of eponyms, see eponym.

The list

• Amara's law – We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run. Proposed by Roy Amara.
• Brooks' law – Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later. Named after Fred Brooks – author of the well known tome on project management, The Mythical Man-Month.
• Clarke's three laws. Formulated by Arthur C. Clarke.
  • 1^st law: When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.
  • 2^nd law: The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little ways past them into the impossible.
  • 3^rd law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
• Dilbert Principle – The most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management. Coined by Scott Adams, author of the comic strip Dilbert.
• Finagle's law – Anything that can go wrong, will. A generalized version of Murphy's law. Finagle is not a real individual.
• Godwin's law – As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one. Coined by Mike Godwin in 1990.
• Gresham's law – Bad money drives good money out of circulation. Coined in 1858 by British economist Henry Dunning Macleod, and named for Sir Thomas Gresham (1519 – 1579).
• Hanlon's razor – A corollary of Finagle's law, normally taking the form Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity. Not named after a real person.
• Hofstadter's law – It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law. A recursive law from Douglas Hofstadter's 1979 book Gödel, Escher, Bach.
• Keynes's law – Demand creates its own supply. Attributed to economist John Maynard Keynes, and contrasted to Say's law.
• Linus's law – Given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow. Named for Linus Torvalds, initiator of the kernel of the GNU/Linux operating system.
• Littlewood's law – Individuals can expect miracles to happen to them at the rate of about one per month. Coined by Professor John Edensor Littlewood.
• Murphy's law – If anything can go wrong, it will" or If it can happen, it will happen. Ascribed to Edward A. Murphy, Jr.
• Occam's razor – Explanations should never multiply causes without necessity. When two explanations are offered for a phenomenon, the simplest full explanation is preferable. Named after William of Ockham.
• Okrent's law – The pursuit of balance can create imbalance because sometimes something is true.
• Parkinson's law – Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Coined by C. Northcote Parkinson.
• Pareto principle – For many phenomena, 80% of consequences stem from 20% of the causes. Named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, but framed by management thinker Joseph M. Juran.
• Peter principle – In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence. Coined by Laurence J. Peter.
• Ralph's observation – It is a mistake to allow any mechanical object to realize that you are in a hurry.
• Say's law – Supply creates its own demand. Attributed to economist Jean-Baptiste Say and contrasted to Keynes's Law
• Sturgeon's law – Ninety percent of everything is crud. Derived from a quote by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon.
• Ugol's law – If you ever ask, "am I the only one who has this kink?", the answer is invariably, "no".

See also

• Eponym
• Adages