What is a universal truth? A prime example is Murphy’s Law: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.” I have always added, “and at the worst possible time.”
There were some other universal truths in a recent Roger’s Bacon Substack post. I have listed a few that are interesting to me. In The Grand Encyclopedia of Rules of Thumb:
Badger’s Law: “Any website with the word ‘Truth’ in the URL has none in the posted content.”
Cunningham’s Law: “The best way to get a correct answer to a posed question is to post the wrong answer and wait for someone to correct you.”
Munroe’s Law: “You will never change anyone’s opinion on anything by making a post on the Internet. Knowing this will not stop you from trying.”
Muphry’s Law: “Any article or statement about correct grammar, punctuation, or spelling is bound to contain at least one eror.” (alternatively: “if you make a post correcting someone on their grammar or spelling you will make a spelling or grammar mistake in your correction.”)
Pommer’s Law: “A person’s mind can be changed by reading information on the internet. The nature of this change will be from having no opinion to having a wrong opinion.”
Wadsworth Constant: “The first 30% of any video can be skipped because it contains no worthwhile or interesting information.”
Bradley’s Bromide: “If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee — that will do them in.”
YAGNI (You Aren’t Gonna Need It): “Always implement things when you actually need them, never when you just foresee that you need them.”
Law of the Instrument: “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.”
Mencken’s Law: “Those who can, do. Those who cannot, teach.”
- Short’s Extension: Those who cannot teach, criticize.
- Russell’s Extension: Those who cannot teach, write.
Napoleon’s Law: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
Parkinson’s Law: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
Ruckert’s Law: “There is nothing so small that it can’t be blown out of proportion.”Thoreau’s Law: “If you see a man approaching you with the obvious intention of doing you good, you should run for your life.”
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