Bad Saw

"Bad workmen always blame their tools". It doesn't follow that people who blame their tools are bad workmen, but that's is what people intend when they use this tired saw. However, a little thought will show that bad workmen falsely blame their tools, good workmen truly blame theirs!

Let's keep it simple and assume a task is done badly either because the workman is bad or his tools are. According to the old saw, the bad workman wants to deflect blame for his shoddy work onto the tools, which are in fact perfectly fine. The good workman also wants to blame his tools, but this time, given our assumption, it is because the tools are indeed at fault. So when a task is poorly executed, we find workmen of all levels blaming their tools. How do we decide whether it's the tools or the workman at fault? Examine the tools!

Moral: if a workman is blaming his tools, don't assume the workman is bad; check his tools first!