Laws of Life, including Murphy's

Murphy's Laws

• Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
• Anything that can go wrong will -- at the worst possible time.
• Nothing is as easy as it seems.
• If there is the possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will go wrong is the one that will do the most damage.
• Everything takes longer than it should.
• Left to themselves, things will go from bad to worse.
• Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.
• Anytime things appear to be going well, you have overlooked something.
• Nature always picks its moment -- nothing happens at random.

Boyle's Law -- Talent in staff work or sales will recurrently and incorrectly be interpreted as managerial ability.

Comin's Law -- People will accept your idea much more readily if you tell them Benjamin Franklin said it first.

Deal's Management Law -- Bad management drives out good.

Deal's Derivative -- Workers will always expand to fill the space available to them.

Deal's Third Counsel -- The only problem in life is in the living.

Deal's Organizational Principle-- A fall guy is built into every venture. If the venture is successful, he will never know it; if it is not, he will be trotted out for the show trial.

Greener's Law -- Never argue with a man that buys ink by the barrel.

Lance's Law -- If it isn't broken, don't fix it.

McKee's Corollary -- If it is broken, but you don't need it, don't fix it.

Lindberg's "Principle of the Vital Few"-- 90% of the work is accomplished by 10% of the workforce.

Parkinson's Law -- Work will always expand to fill the time available for its completion.

Peter Principle -- In an organization an individual will rise to his level of incompetence.

Paul Principle -- Individuals in an organization who once functioned at their level of competence often become incompetent as they become uneducated for that level.

Mary Principle -- If many individuals remain too long at their level of incompetence, they will destroy the organization because their presence demonstrates to others that competence is not a prerequisite for success.

Pierson's Law -- If you're coasting, you're going down hill.

Ramson's Law -- If you save an item for X days, weeks, or years, and throw it away, you will need it within 0.1 X period of time.

Shanahan's Law -- The length of a meeting increases with the square of the number of people present.

Weller's Law -- Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself.