Quote: If it ain't broke, don't fix it! (antedating1973 October 25)

[Garson O'Toole]

Fred Shapiro discusses this quote at the "Quotes Uncovered" blog
today. Bert Lance, an administrator under Jimmy Carter, was a locus of
popularization, and the earliest known cites are in 1976 shortly
before Lance used it.

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/09/quotes-uncovered-if-it-aint-broke/

Barry Popik has a webpage on the quote that includes some interesting
variants that occurred earlier, e.g., IF WE CAN’T FIX IT—IT AIN’T
BROKE.

http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/if_it_aint_broke_dont_fix_it/


Here is a citation in 1973 that I just located. The prefixed mention
of "Murph" may be a reference to Murphy's Law:

Cite: 1973 October 25, Hamburg Reporter, Free standing quote in
Hansen's Food Market advertisement, Page 3, Hamburg, Iowa.
(NewspaperArchive)

Murph sez: If it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Garson

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org