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<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><title>Sturgeon's Law</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="../../jargon.css" type="text/css"/><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets V1.61.0"/><link rel="home" href="../index.html" title="The Jargon File"/><link rel="up" href="../S.html" title="S"/><link rel="previous" href="Stupids.html" title="Stupids"/><link rel="next" href="sucking-mud.html" title="sucking mud"/></head><body><div class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="3" align="center">Sturgeon's Law</th></tr><tr><td width="20%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="Stupids.html">Prev</a> </td><th width="60%" align="center">S</th><td width="20%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="sucking-mud.html">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr/></div><dt><a id="Sturgeons-Law"/><dt xmlns="" id="Sturgeons-Law"><b>Sturgeon's Law</b>: <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="grammar">prov.</span></dt></dt><dd><p> &#8220;<span class="quote">Ninety percent of everything is crud</span>&#8221;. Derived from a
quote by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon, who once said,
&#8220;<span class="quote">Sure, 90% of science fiction is crud. That's because 90% of
everything is crud.</span>&#8221; Sturgeon himself called this &#8220;<span class="quote">Sturgeon's
Revelation</span>&#8221;, and it first appeared in the March 1958 issue of
<i class="citetitle">Venture Science Fiction</i>; he gave Sturgeon's Law as
&#8220;<span class="quote">Nothing is always absolutely so.</span>&#8221; Oddly, when Sturgeon's
Revelation is cited, the final word is almost invariably changed to
&#8216;crap&#8217;. Compare <a href="../H/Hanlons-Razor.html"><i class="glossterm">Hanlon's Razor</i></a>,
<a href="../N/Ninety-Ninety-Rule.html"><i class="glossterm">Ninety-Ninety Rule</i></a>. Though this maxim originated in
SF fandom, most hackers recognize it and are all too aware of its
truth.</p></dd><div class="navfooter"><hr/><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="Stupids.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="../S.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="sucking-mud.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">Stupids </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="../index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> sucking mud</td></tr></table></div></body></html>