Law of holes - wikipedia Law of holes An excavator that is in a hole and has stopped digging The first law of holes, or the law of holes, is an adage which states that `` if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging ''. Digging a hole makes it deeper and therefore harder to get back out, which is used as a metaphor that when in an untenable position, it is best to stop carrying on and exacerbating the situation. Contents 1 Attribution 2 Use 3 References 4 External links Attribution The adage has been attributed to a number of sources. It appeared in print on page six of The Washington Post dated October 25, 1911, in the form : `` Nor would a wise man, seeing that he was in a hole, go to work and blindly dig it deeper... '' In The Bankers Magazine, it was published in 1964 as : `` Let me tell you about the law of holes : If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. '' In the United Kingdom, it has been referred to as `` Healey 's first law of holes '' after politician Denis Healey, who used the adage in the 1980s and later. Use It has been quoted by American humorist Will Rogers. References ^ Jump up to : Apperson, George Latimer ( 2006 ). The Wordsworth Dictionary of Proverbs. Ware : Wordsworth Editions. p. 283. ISBN 978 - 1840223118. ^ Jump up to : Lloyd, John ; Hargreaves, Ian ( 8 November 1996 ). `` Interview : Denis Healey ; Healey 's first law of holes is to stop digging ''. New Statesman. 9. Retrieved 25 July 2014 -- via HighBeam Business. Jump up ^ Doyle, Charles Clay ; Mieder, Wolfgang ; Shapiro, Fred R. ( 2012 ). The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. New Haven : Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300136029. Jump up ^ `` Is That Dirt Being Shovelled ? ''. The Bankers Magazine. 166 : 61. 1964. Jump up ^ Will Rogers Legacy. California Department of Parks and Recreation External links Quotations related to Denis Healey at Wikiquote Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Law_of_holes&oldid=823667905 '' Categories : Adages 20th - century philosophy Words and phrases introduced in 1911 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Yorùbá Edit links This page was last edited on 2 February 2018, at 17 : 31. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who said if you find yourself in a hole stop digging
Answer: The Washington Post