Systemantics Quotes

Note that this book dates from 1977 and is not specifically focused in computer systems; while amazingly interesting and still relevant, this is not funded in mathematical or scientifical proofs, so take these corollaries as anecdotic statements. Nonetheless, many of these are extremely relevant today.

  • Systems In General Work Poorly Or Not At All

  • If Anything Can Go Wrong, It Will

  • New Systems Mean New Problems

  • Systems Tend To Expand To Fill The Known Universe

  • Not Just Animals Behavior, But The Behavior Of Complex Systems Generally, Whether Living Or Nonliving, Is Unpredictable

  • A Large System, Produced By Expanding The Dimensions Of A Smaller System, Does Not Behave Like The Smaller System

  • Systems Tend To Oppose Their Own Proper Functions

  • A System Is No Better Than Its Sensory Organs

  • The Bigger The System, The Narrower And More Specialized The Interface With Individuals

  • Pushing On The System Doesn't Help

  • If A System Is Working, Leave It Alone. Don't Change Anything !

  • A Complex System That Works Is Invariably Found To Have Evolved From A Simple System That Worked

  • A Complex System Designed From Scratch Never Works And Cannot Be Made To Work. You Have To Start Over, Beginning With A Working Simple System

  • Complex Systems Are Beyond Human Capacity To Evaluate

  • A System Can Fail In An Infinite Number Of Ways

  • The Crucial Variables Are Discovered By Accident

  • Do It Without A System If You Can

  • Loose Systems Last Longer And Function Better

  • Complicated Systems Produce Complicated Responses (Not Solutions) To Problems

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