Common Wisdom Gone Wrong

"If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong."

~ Murphy's Law

Today, Murphy's law is used to justify pessmistic behavior.

Origin and True Meaning:

In the late 1940's aerospace engineer Captain Edward A. Murphy was working on safety systems for rocket sled tests. After a faulty wiring job ruined a test, Murphy reportedly said of the wiring technician, "If there's any way to do it wrong, he'll do it." This has morphed into the more common wording, at the top of this post.

However, the statement was not about fatalism. It was a reminder to design systems that anticipate human error and failure points.

Murphy's Law is not about pessimism, it is about resilience.

"The customer is always right"

~ Harry Gordon Selfridge

Today, this phrase is used to justify unreasonable demands, as if employees should give in to any request, no matter what.

Origin and True Meaning

This saying is attributed to Harry Gordon Selfridge, the founder of Selfridges department store in London in the early 1900s. The actual phrase is:

"The customer is always right in maters of taste."

In other words, if a customer prefers one color, fabric or style over another, then this is their personal taste and this is not up for debate. The job is to serve, not to argue.

"The customer is always right" is not about aquiessing to every client whim, accepting abuse or false claims, it is about respecting the customer's preferences.