cynical folk wisdom

[Garson O'Toole]

Here are two more variants.

Cite: 1989 [Reprinted 1997], The Principles of Computer Networking by
D. Russell, Page 388, Cambridge Computer Science Texts 2, Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, UK. (Google Books preview; Not verified
on paper; Reprint might have modified text)

http://books.google.com/books?id=ReDwVJGlxLsC&q=fools#v=snippet&q=fools&f=false

[Begin excerpt]
As someone once remarked, "The main problem with making a system
foolproof is the inventiveness of fools".
[End excerpt]


Here is an instance in a signature line in a Usenet post using antimetabole.

Date: 1986 June 19
Subject: Death by RefreshGadgets
Newsgroup: net.micro.amiga
http://groups.google.com/g/f697febd/t/ca8ffc7ef9ffabe5/d/7c06e8654dbc2ffb
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/net.micro.amiga/yo_8fvn_q-U/-y-8TWXoBnwJ

[Begin excerpt]
An Idiot Proof System is no match for a System Proof Idiot ... me!
[End excerpt]

Garson

On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 8:44 AM, Jonathan Lighter
<wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: cynical folk wisdom
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Prolix.
>
> JL
>
> On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 1:13 AM, Garson O'Toole
> <adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> Poster:       Garson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
>> Subject:      Re: cynical folk wisdom
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
>>
>> The Yale Book of Quotations has this:
>>
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> Rick Cook
>> U.S. science fiction writer, 1944-
>>
>> Applications programming is a race between software engineers, who
>> strive to produce idiot-proof programs, and the Universe which strives
>> to produce bigger idiots.=97Software engineers=92 saying
>>
>> So far the Universe is winning. - Applications programmers=92 saying
>>
>> The Wizardry Compiled ch. 6 (1990)
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> On Sat, Jul 14, 2012 at 12:58 AM, Dan Goodman <dsgood at iphouse.com> wrote:
>> > ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> > Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> > Poster:       Dan Goodman <dsgood at IPHOUSE.COM>
>> > Subject:      Re: cynical folk wisdom
>> >
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
>> >
>> > On 07/13/2012 10:04 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
>> >> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
>> -----------------------
>> >> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
>> >> Poster:       Wilson Gray <hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
>> >> Subject:      Re: cynical folk wisdom
>> >>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------=
> ------
>> >>
>> >> On Fri, Jul 13, 2012 at 5:06 PM, Jonathan Lighter
>> >> <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
>> >>> "Make it idiot-proof and someone will invent a better idiot."
>> >>
>> >> A variant from the Jesus-v.-Moses subset:
>> >>
>> >> "Jesus Saves. Moses Invests."
>> >
>> > "But the Mongol hoards."
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --
>> > Dan Goodman
>> >
>> > ------------------------------------------------------------
>> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
> --=20
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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