It's a great quote. I think it even applies to political systems.<p>I just remembered where I originally found that quote: I read it in <i>Manage It!</i>, published by The Pragmatic Programmers, citing <i>The Secrets of Consulting</i> by Gerald Weinberg.<p><i>It must have been something I heard years ago and it's been sitting in my head so long I thought it was mine.</i><p>It happens. That effect even has a name. It's called Cryptomnesia. :-)