Law of holes

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An excavator that is in a hole and has stopped digging. Stop Digging ^ - geograph.org.uk - 195319.jpg
An excavator that is in a hole and has stopped digging.

The law of holes, or the first law of holes, is an adage which states: "If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." It is used as a metaphor, warning that when in an untenable position, it is best to stop making the situation worse. [1] [2] The second law of holes is commonly known as: "When you stop digging, you are still in a hole." [3]

Contents

Background

When it is said, "if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging", [4] [5] [1] [6] it is because digging a hole makes it deeper and therefore harder to get out of.

Attribution

The adage has been attributed to a number of sources. It appeared in print on page six of The Washington Post dated 25 October 1911, in the form: "Nor would a wise man, seeing that he was in a hole, go to work and blindly dig it deeper..." [7] [8]

In 1983, Bill Brock was quoted "Let me tell you about the law of holes: If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging." [9]

In the United Kingdom, it has been referred to as "Healey's first law of holes" [5] after politician Denis Healey, who used the adage in the 1980s and later. [4]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Speake, Jennifer (2015). "When you are in a hole, stop digging". Oxford Dictionary of Proverbs (6 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-873490-1.
  2. ↑ Moore, Merton (4 December 1920). Stop Digging—Climb. Vol. XVII. Holstein-Friesian World. p. 34. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021. I have studied this situation thoroughly in five states and in close relation to hundreds of dairymen and the answer to 'Hard Times' is 'If you are in a hole, stop digging - raise your head - open your eyes - think - study -climb.'
  3. ↑ Tech With Tech (23 October 2020). "The 5 Laws of Holes (+ Examples for Each)". Tech With Tech. Archived from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 Apperson, George Latimer (2006). The Wordsworth Dictionary of Proverbs. Ware: Wordsworth Editions. p. 283. ISBN   978-1840223118.
  5. 1 2 Lloyd, John; Hargreaves, Ian (8 November 1996). "Interview: Denis Healey; Healey's first law of holes is to stop digging". New Statesman . Vol. 9.
  6. ↑ The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Yale University Press. 22 May 2012. ISBN   978-0-300-18335-1. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  7. ↑ Doyle, Charles Clay; Mieder, Wolfgang; Shapiro, Fred R. (2012). The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN   9780300136029.
  8. ↑ "Letting Bryan Down Easy". The Washington Post . 25 October 1911. p. 6. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021– via newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Is That Dirt Being Shoveled?". The Bankers Magazine. Vol. 166, no. May–June 1983. Warren, Gorham & Lamont. 1983. p. 61. LCCN   89657447. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
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