What Are Your "Rules of Thumb"?

This will be a short post, because I've been posting comparative lengthy stuff all week.

I was thinking about corporate politics and the rules of thumb that I've accumulated over the years, like:

• "No corporate rumor is true until it's been denied."
• "The more an executive talks about something, the less likely it is to happen."
• "Corporate bureaucrats, like flying insects, are attracted to heat and light."

• "When God closes a door, he throws you through the window."
• "Everything happens for a reason; sometimes it's a stupid reason."
• "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him think."

READERS: Got any good "rules of thumb" that you'd like to share?