Approval Seeker’s Law: Those whose approval you seek the most give you the least. – Washington writer Rozanne Weissman

The Aquinas Axiom: What the gods get away with, the cows don’t.

Army Axiom: Any order that can be misunderstood has been misunderstood.

Arnold’s Laws of Documentation: (1) If it should exist, it doesn’t. (2) If it does exist, it’s out of date. (3) Only documentation for useless programs transcends the first two laws.

Astrology Laws: It’s always the wrong time of the month. – Rozanne Weissman

Avery’s Rule of Three: Trouble strikes in series of threes, but when working around the house the next job after a series of three is not the fourth job – it’s the start of a brand new series of three.

Baer’s Quartet: What’s good politics is bad economics; what’s bad politics is good economics; what’s good economics is bad politics; what’s bad economics is good politics. – Eugene Baer (Baer also allows that it can be restated somewhat more compactly as “What’s good politics is bad economics and vice versa, vice versa.”)

Bagdikian’s Observation: Trying to be a first-rate reporter on the average American newspaper is like trying to play Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” on a ukelele.

Baker’s First Law of Federal Geometry: A block grant is a solid mass of money surrounded on all sides by governors.