Murphy's Law - Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong
When planning projects or important events
Also known as: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”; “If something can go wrong, it will”
What Does “Murphy's Law - Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong” Mean?
If something has the potential to fail, assume it eventually will. This pessimistic principle encourages thorough preparation, contingency planning, and defensive design against foreseeable failures.
Origin and History
The law is named after Edward A. Murphy Jr., a US Air Force engineer who worked on rocket-sled deceleration tests at Edwards Air Force Base around 1949. After a sensor failure caused by incorrect wiring, he reportedly remarked that if there was any way to do something wrong, someone would find it. The project's physician, John Paul Stapp, popularized 'Murphy's Law' in press conferences. The idea itself is older and appeared in various forms before Murphy.
Examples
- Engineering: design connectors that physically cannot be plugged in the wrong way.
- Events: have a backup for the projector, the microphone and the internet connection.
- Travel: leave buffer time for connections, because the one delay you did not plan for will happen.
- Software: handle errors and back up data, assuming disks fail and networks drop.
What Happens When You Break It
Ignoring Murphy's Law leads to catastrophic failures from predictable problems, no contingency plans, crisis management, and avoidable disasters.
Benefits of Following This Rule
Planning for Murphy's Law creates robust systems, backup plans, quick recovery, minimal surprises, and confidence to handle problems when they arise.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the rule that says anything that can go wrong will go wrong?
That is Murphy's Law.
Is Murphy's Law pessimistic?
It is usually meant as a design principle rather than pessimism: assume failures will happen and build systems that make mistakes impossible or harmless.
What is the opposite of Murphy's Law?
People sometimes jokingly cite 'Yhprum's Law' (Murphy spelled backwards): everything that can work, will work.