Some lighthearted rules which seem surprisingly close to reality ...

Some unserious philosophical rules which seem surprisingly close to describing the world's serious realities ...

One. Murphy’s Law

If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. And of all possible bad outcomes, the worst one will happen.

Most of the other laws below can be seen as variants of this one.

Two. Hlaid’s Law

The most difficult task should be given to the laziest employee. They will definitely find the easiest and most efficient way to solve it. A lazy person won’t complicate their own life and will do the job properly the first time just to avoid redoing it later.

Three. Richard’s Rule of Interdependence

Anything you keep long enough can be thrown away. The moment you throw something away, you will need it.

Four. Lerman’s Law

Any technical problem can be solved if you have enough money and time. The problem is that you will always lack either money or time.

Five. Ettore’s Observation

The line next to yours always moves faster. And if you switch lines, the one you left will suddenly start moving faster.

Six. Meksimen’s Law

There is never enough time to do the job properly, but somehow there is always enough time to redo it.

Seven. The Search Law

What you need is either in the most obvious place or the most unexpected one. So stop wasting time and start searching in the least suitable place first.

Eight. The Peter Principle (after Dr. Laurence J. Peter who first publicly presented the concept in September 1960 during an academic seminar. 

He later formally defined and popularized the idea alongside writer Raymond Hull in their book The Peter Principle, which was published in 1969: The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong.)

In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise until they reach their "level of incompetence". While they are good at their job, they will be regarded as suitable for promotion to more important and more difficult jobs. But eventually they will tend to reach a level at which they are not successful.

Nine. Cahn and Orben’s Axiom

If nothing else helps, finally read the instructions.

Ten. Hanlon’s Razor (attributed to Robert J. Hanlon, who submitted it to a 1980 compilation book about Murphy's Law, see rule two above)

"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."

Most things you consider malicious are actually done out of stupidity. Don’t rush to assume evil intent where incompetence is enough to explain it.

Eleven. Poe’s Law

If you joke about sensitive topics without clearly stating it’s a joke, someone will inevitably take it seriously.

Twelve. Finagle’s Fourth Law

If something has gone wrong, every attempt to fix it will only make it worse. Sometimes it’s better to leave things alone.

Thirteen. Zymurgy’s Law of Volunteer Labor

People are always ready to work when there is no longer any need for it.

Fourteen. Gumperson’s Law

Your desire for something is inversely proportional to the probability of getting it. The more you hurry, the more the world seems determined to slow you down.

Fifteen. Law of Selective Gravity

If something falls, it will most likely suffer maximum damage. After all, toast always lands butter-side down.

Sixteen. The Pareto Principle (after the economist Wilfredo Pareto)

Twenty percent of the effort produces eighty percent of the result — and vice versa. Life seems to work mostly on this ratio.

Seventeen. Chisholm’s Third Law

Anything you say will inevitably be interpreted differently from what you meant. People think differently because people are different.

Eighteen. Ould and Kahn’s Law

The more people involved in a meeting and the more time spent on it, the less effective it becomes.

Nineteen. Parkinson’s Law (after C Northcote Parkinson, who first defined it  in a satirical essay published in The Economist on November 19, 1955, as

"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion"

He later produced other examples of the principle such as "Expenditure rises to meet income." He published a number of books on the subject such as  Parkinson's Law, by C. Northcote Parkinson, available here at Amazon.co.uk

Twenty. Young’s Law

All great discoveries are made by mistake.

Twenty-one. Finagle’s Eighth Rule

Teamwork is essential. It allows you to blame someone else.

Twenty-two. Murphy’s Law of Scientific Research

With enough studies, you can always defend your theory.

Twenty-three. Segal’s Law

A man with one watch knows exactly what time it is. A man with several watches is never sure.

Twenty-four. The Sausage Principle. Historical research reveals that this was first coined by the American poet and lawyer John Godfrey Saxe, who wrote in an 1869 issue of the University Chronicle:

"Laws, like sausages, cease to inspire respect in proportion as we know how they are made."

Often misattributed to otto von Bismarck, and quoted in forms such as

Those who love sausage and respect the law should never watch either one being made.

Twenty-five. Harrison’s Postulate

For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

26. Drew’s Law of Professional Practice

The client who pays the least complains the most.

27. Van Roy’s Law

An unbreakable toy is useful for breaking other toys.

28. The Banana Principle

If you buy unripe bananas, they’ll all be gone by the time they ripen. If you buy ripe bananas, they’ll spoil before anyone eats them.