Laws of Misfortune

We've all experienced those frustrating moments when things just don't seem to go our way, no matter how hard we try. Whether it's in the workplace, at home, or just navigating daily life, Murphy's Laws are there to remind us of life's unpredictability. Here are some amusing yet painfully relatable laws of misfortune that you might recognize from your own experiences.

We've all experienced those frustrating moments when things just don't seem to go our way, no matter how hard we try. Whether it's in the workplace, at home, or just navigating daily life, Murphy's Laws are there to remind us of life's unpredictability. Here are some amusing yet painfully relatable laws of misfortune that you might recognize from your own experiences.

The other line always moves faster. /Etorre's Observation/

If nothing else works, read the instructions. /Kahn and Orben's Axiom/

Start searching in the most unlikely place. /Law of Search/

There's never enough time to do it right, but always enough to redo it. /Meskimen's Law/

Assign a complex task to a lazy employee — they will find an easier way. /Hlade's Law/

Those who love sausage and respect the law should never see how either is made. /Sausage Principle/

Teamwork is crucial; it allows you to blame someone else. /Fingal's Eighth Rule/

You will always lack either time or money. /Lerman's Law/

The first 90% of the work takes 10% of the time, and the last 10% takes the remaining 90%. /Project Timeline Rule/

Whenever you cut your nails, you will need them in an hour. /Witten's Law/

When you need to knock on wood, you find the world is made of aluminum and plastic. /Flugg's Law/

All work seems easy to someone who doesn't have to do it. /Holt's Law/

Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach. Students' addendum: Those who can't teach, teach how to teach. /Shaw's Law/

Any order that can be misunderstood will be misunderstood. /Military Axiom/

People are willing to do any difficult work once it's no longer necessary. /Zymurgy's Law of Volunteering/

An expert is anyone from out of town. /Mars' Rule/

Experience grows proportionally to the number of broken tools. /Horner's Postulate/

You can never do just one thing. /Hardin's Law/

The most interesting exhibit never has a nameplate. /Jones' Law of Museums and Zoos/

No talent can overcome the obsession with details. /Levy's Eighth Law/

A person with one watch knows what time it is. A person with two is never sure. /Segal's Law/

What you keep long enough can be thrown away. Once thrown away, you will need it. /Richard's Rule of Interdependence/

Lost items are always found in the last pocket. /Boob's Law/

You can never determine the right side to butter the bread. /Law of Nature's Whims/

A hot flask looks just like a cold one. /First Law of Laboratory Work/

Corruption in government is always reported in the past tense. /Watergate Principle/

The most moral people are usually the furthest from solving the problem. /Alinsky's Principle/

Among economists, the real world is often considered a special case. /Hongren's Observation/

Nothing is ever done for logical reasons. /O'Brien's Law/

Every action has an equal and opposite criticism. /Harrison's Postulate/

Those who pay the least complain the most. /Drew's Law of Professional Practice/

It doesn't matter if someone is doing something wrong. It might look good. /Scott's First Law/

Unbreakable toys are useful for breaking other things. /Van Roy's Law/

All great discoveries are made by mistake. /Young's Law/

Whatever happens to you has already happened to one of your friends, only worse. /Mieder's Law/