Who originally said the phrase if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[mg357]

Dear smith and wesson forum. i have a question about a very old phrase. i am looking for the person who said if it ain't broke don't fix it. any and all help in answering this question i appreciate it very much sincerely and respectfully mg357 a proud member of the smith and wesson forum.

 

[7shooter]

I found this by Googling the phrase. It seems to me it should be older than !977. Painful learning experiences have led me to make every effort to live by that philosophy.

"IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT - "Any attempt to improve on a system that already works is pointless and may even be detrimental. Originated in the United States in the twentieth century. Government official Bert Lance (1931- ) was quoted in the May 1977 issue of 'Nation's Business' as saying, 'If it ain't broke don't fix it.' Lance's advice, according to William Safire, 'has become a source of inspiration to anti-activists.'." From "Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings" (1996) by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996). "

 

[7shooter]

Here is one more quote which suggests that at least in print the phrase is in fact recent.

"Several correspondents from the southern states of the USA have commented that they recall the phrase from well before 1977 - some saying the 1930s. That may be misremembering (which is commonplace in the dating of recently coined phrases) or it may be that the phrase existed in common parlance but not in print. It would be surprising for a phrase to exist in the spoken language for the best part of 50 years before it appeared in print. The Internet has changed the way that new coinages spread and these days a datable record of a new phrase will be apparent within a day or two. Even in the days of newsprint, 50 years is hard to swallow. Here is an barchart of the hits that a search for 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' finds in an very large archive of 20th century newspapers:"

( I tried to copy the bar chart but couldn't figure out how to do it. It showed the first record of the phrase wasin the late 70s.)

"I would suggest that the notion and possibly a variant of the phrase may well have been around for some time before the 1970s, but that the present-day wording of the phrase began then."

 

[gaucho1]

Ok

What exactly does "Jimmy cracked corn and I don't care" mean?

It's been eating me since about 1978.

I'm not kidding.......................

 

[7shooter]

Again , Google to the rescue. There was more there about the song and it's relation to slaves rejoicing over the death of their master but here is the essence :

"There has been much debate over the meaning of "Jimmy Crack Corn". To note, in the original version the lyrics read "jim crack corn". "Jim crack" has traditionally been used in reference to shoddily built items,[11] Additionally, "corn" is considered an American euphemism for "corn whiskey". Other possibilities include:

- "Gimcrack corn," cheap corn whiskey;
- That it refers to "cracking" open a jug of corn whiskey;
- That "crack-corn" is related to the (still-current) slang "cracker" for a rural Southern white.[12]
- That "crack-corn" originated from the old English term "crack," meaning gossip, and that "cracking corn" was a traditional Shenandoah expression for "sitting around chitchatting."[13]
- That the chorus refers to an overseer who, without the master, has only his bullwhip to keep the slaves in line. (This is the most popular interpretation.)
Most etymologists support the first interpretation, as the term "cracker" appears to predate "corn-cracking". Also, "whipcracker" has no historical backing.[14] This suggests that, in the chorus, the slaves may be making whiskey and celebrating."

 

[rocketdog]

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Adam said this to Eve, when she demanded a kitchen remodel.

 

[7shooter]

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Adam said this to Eve, when she demanded a kitchen remodel.

Bet it didn't work to well for him either.

 

[shooboy]

Definitely invented by a Harley-Davidson owner, NEVER fix an old H-D that is still runnin' !!! Shoo

 

[Skeeziks]

I know I heard the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" before 1977.

 

[cowboy117]

Definitely invented by a Harley-Davidson owner, NEVER fix an old H-D that is still runnin' !!! Shoo

+1.Very true words!

 

[redlevel]

I always saw it (if it ain't broke . . . . . ) listed as one of "Murphy's Laws," along with 'Nature is a Mother,' etc.

If the Lance attribution is true, it is another major accomplishment by a Georgian.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Actually the correct phrasiology is "If it ain't broke you aren't trying hard enough" or alternatively "If it ain't broke-fix it till it is"

 

[red14]

I know I heard the phrase "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" before 1977.

I heard that in the 50s.

 

[BarbC]

After wrestling for an hour over a computer program with a Russian tech support guy, I asked him about some other "feature" of the software. He brightly told me in a thick accent, "You know what they say: If it's working, don't break it!" I said, "You mean, if it isn't broke, don't fix it." He said, "That too!"

 

[sipowicz]

I don't know who said it but it applies to gun people more than anyone...can't count the number of beautiful guns I've seen ruined by guys trying to "improve" them...I still hope the member a few weeks back with the classic Detective Special hasn't altered the frame like he said he would....

 

[ladder13]

Definitely invented by a Harley-Davidson owner, NEVER fix an old H-D that is still runnin' !!! Shoo

Specifically anyone who owned an AMF built Harley, like mine from 75'.

 

[shooboy]

Hey Mke, You still ridin' that old thing ??? Shoo

 

[Alk8944]

Don't know who or when, but Ann Landers frequently used this phrase in her advice columns at lease as early as the 1950s. I have seen her credited with originating it, but I don't think this is likely.

 

[dant]

I'm with 'alk' as we too have seen it in writing (print) way back, as well as heard it in the Boy Scouts in the late 1950's...........

 

[G.T. Smith]

I don't know who said it but it applies to gun people more than anyone...can't count the number of beautiful guns I've seen ruined by guys trying to "improve" them...I still hope the member a few weeks back with the classic Detective Special hasn't altered the frame like he said he would....

True that, sip.
Peas,
gordon