List of adages named after people

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Categories: Eponyms | Lists of eponyms

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

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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.
  • Ashby's Law - The variety of a regulator must be at least as large as that of the system it regulates. Formulated by W. Ross Ashby in An Introduction to Cybernetics.
  • Asimov's three laws of robotics. Formulated by Isaac Asimov
    • 1: A robot may not through its actions or inactions, allow a human to come to harm.
    • 2: A robot must obey any order given to it, unless in contradiction of the First Law.
    • 3: A robot must protect its own existence, unless in contradiction of the First or Second Law.
  • Brannigan's Law - Futurama's parody of the Star Trek Prime Directive. The Democratic Order Of Planets prohibits interfering with undeveloped worlds. According to Zapp Brannigan, after whom the law is named, Brannigan's Law is like Brannigan's Love —hard and fast!
  • 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.
    • 1st 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.
    • 2nd law: The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little ways past them into the impossible.
    • 3rd law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
  • Colvard's Logical Premise - All probabilities are 50%. Either a thing will happen or it won't.
  • Conway's Law - If you have four groups working on a compiler, you'll get a 4-pass compiler. Coined by programmer Melvin Conway.
  • 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 version of Murphy's law. Finagle is not a real individual.
  • Gilmore's Law - The chances of making a fool out of yourself while trying to degrade someone else approaches 1 (certainty) with every disparaging remark. Coined by programmer Ben Gilmore.
  • 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. Named after Robert J. Hanlon, although there is some debate.
  • Harshaw's Law - Daughters can use up to ten percent more [money] than a man can make in any normal occupation, regardless of the amount. Stated by Jubal Harshaw in Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land (1961).
  • Hockin's Law - If someone ever uses the words 'Limey' or 'dinky little island' during an argument against an English man or woman, then they immediately lose. Those were factors that allowed us to rule the world. Named for Stacey Hockin of Devonshire.
  • 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.
  • Holmes' Law - After eliminating the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is the truth. From Sherlock Holmes.
  • 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.
  • Moore's law - The complexity of an integrated circuit will double in about 24 months. Attributed to Gordon E. Moore, a co-founder of Intel.
  • Morton's fork - If you look rich then you you must have lots of money. If you look poor then you don't spend much so you must have lots saved. Either way you can pay King Henry lots of tax. Named after John Morton tax collector for King Henry VII of England.
  • Murphy's law - If anything can go wrong, it will or If it can happen, it will happen. Ascribed to Edward A. Murphy, Jr.
  • Murphy's law (alternate) - If there are two ways to do something, and one of them will result in a disaster, somebody will choose that way. Also 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.
  • 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.
  • Parkinson's law - Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. Coined by C. Northcote Parkinson.
  • 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 - Demand cannot exist without supply. Often stated Supply creates its own demand. Attributed to economist Jean-Baptiste Say and contrasted to Keynes's Law
  • Sturgeon's law - Nothing is always absolutely so. Derived from a quote by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon.
  • Sturgeon's revelation - Ninety percent of everything is crud. Derived from a quote by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon.
  • Tuttle's Law - The percentage of working hardware in the world is constant.
  • Ugol's law - If you ever ask, "am I the only one who has this kink?", the answer is invariably, "no".
  • Wu's Mantra - You have to get over this sometime. Why not now? From Ringworld.
  • Who knows? - In a meeting, the amount of time spent on any topic is inversely proportional to it's importance
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See also