Success and Failure

Large increases in cost with questionable increases in performance can be tolerated only in race horses and women.

Lord Kelvin, in Men and Women and Success and Failure

Never make anything simple and efficient when a way can be found to make it complex and wonderful.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Ninety-Ninety Rule of Project Schedules: The first ninety percent of the task takes ninety percent of the time, and the last ten percent takes the other ninety percent.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Non-Reciprocal Laws of Expectations: Negative expectations yield negative results. Positive expectations yield negative results.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Nothing is difficult to those who have the will.

Unknown, (motto of the Dutch Poet's Society), in Success and Failure

Official Project Stages: (1) Uncritical Acceptance. (2) Wild Enthusiasm. (3) Dejected Disillusionment. (4) Total Confusion. (5) Search for the Guilty. (6) Punishment of the Innocent. (7) Promotion of the Non-participants.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Oliver's Law: Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Once you've tried to change the world you find it's a whole bunch easier to change your mind.

Unknown, in Altruism and Cynicism and Success and Failure

Only those who do not expect anything are never disappointed. Only those who never try, never fail.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

People will accept your ideas much more readily if you tell them that Benjamin Franklin said it first.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Perfection is only achieved on the point of collapse.

Unknown, (from Bjarne Stroustrup's book on C++), in Success and Failure

Putt's Law: Technology is dominated by two types of people: Those who understand what they do not manage, and those who manage what they do not understand.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Reach for the moon and if you miss at least you will land among the stars.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Silverman's Law: If Murphy's Law can go wrong, it will.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Small minds are the first to condemn great ideas.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Smile, it makes people wonder what you are thinking.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Some day my boat will come in, and with my luck I'll be at the airport.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Some days you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Some people dream of success, while others wake up and work hard at it.

Unknown, in Success and Failure

Strategy: A long-range plan whose merit cannot be evaluated until sometime after those creating it have left the organization.

Unknown, in Success and Failure