Law of holes
The first law of holes, or the law of holes, is an adage which states: "if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging".[1][2] Digging a hole makes it deeper and therefore harder to get out of, which is used as a metaphor that when in an untenable position, it is best to stop carrying on and exacerbating the situation.
Attribution
The adage has been attributed to a number of sources. It appeared in print on page six of The Washington Post dated October 25, 1911, in the form: "Nor would a wise man, seeing that he was in a hole, go to work and blindly dig it deeper..."[3]
In 1983 Bill Brock was quoted "Let me tell you about the law of holes: If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging."[4]
In the United Kingdom, it has been referred to as "Healey's first law of holes"[2] after politician Denis Healey, who used the adage in the 1980s and later.[1] Some sources misattribute the phrase to American humorist Will Rogers.[5]
References
- ^ a b Apperson, George Latimer (2006). The Wordsworth Dictionary of Proverbs. Ware: Wordsworth Editions. p. 283. ISBN 978-1840223118.
- ^ a b Lloyd, John; Hargreaves, Ian (8 November 1996). "Interview: Denis Healey; Healey's first law of holes is to stop digging". New Statesman. 9. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014 – via HighBeam Business.
- ^ Doyle, Charles Clay; Mieder, Wolfgang; Shapiro, Fred R. (2012). The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300136029.
- ^ "Is That Dirt Being Shoveled?". The Bankers Magazine. 166 (3): 61. May–June 1983.
- ^ Will Rogers Legacy. California Department of Parks and Recreation
External links
Quotations related to Denis Healey at Wikiquote
