[From "Programming Proverbs" by Henry F. Ledgard]
This is the first of what may be a number of TidBits from Legard’s book.
"By their nature, the programming proverbs, like all old saws, overlook much important detail in favor of an easily remembered phrase. There are some cases where programs should not conform to standard rules, that is, there are exceptions to every proverb. Nevertheless, I think experience will show that a programmer should not violate the rules without careful consideration of the alternatives."