--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When deciding whether a message should be…" description: "\"“When deciding whether a message should be ERROR or WARN, imagine being woken up at 4 a.m. Low printer toner is not an ERROR.”\" — Gene Kim" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/gene-kim-2268_warn_when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-b_2320021.jpg" --- # When deciding whether a message should be ERROR or WARN… ![“When deciding whether a message should be ERROR or WARN, imagine being woken up at 4 a.m. Low printer toner is not an ERROR.” quote by Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/gene-kim-2268_warn_when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-b_2320021.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/gene-kim-2268_warn_when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-b_2320021.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/gene-kim-2268_warn_when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-b_2320021.jpg) > ““When deciding whether a message should be ERROR or WARN, imagine being woken up at 4 a.m. Low printer toner is not an ERROR.”” [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote uses a humorous analogy to illustrate that not all issues deserve high‑severity alerts; low‑impact problems should be treated as warnings, not errors. **In simple terms:** Not every problem is a crisis. Key Takeaway Prioritize issues based on real impact. Themes IT operations incident management risk assessment Mood practical humorous Type operational technical When to use this quote - system monitoring - devops practices - team communication - incident response Key Concepts severity classification alert fatigue Questions to Reflect On - How do you decide when an issue is critical? - What processes prevent alert fatigue? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex system failures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deciding Message](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deciding-message-5542419/) [Error Warn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/error-warn-5542418/) [Toner Error](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/toner-error-5542417/) [Warn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warn/) [Warn Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warn-imagine-5542420/) ## Related quotes > [Once I will warn you, and then I will fire you! I have a zero-tolerance-plus-one policy for gossip. I will teach you once, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/once-i-will-warn-you-and-then-i-will-fire-you-i-have-a-zero-tolerance/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [“I am only a dead Sciomancer, but I must warn you of fire and kisses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lita-burke/i-am-only-a-dead-sciomancer-but-i-must-warn-you-of-fire-and-kisses/) [Lita Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lita-burke/) > [“Who you are, you say, isn’t important, but who I am you don't want to know. I warn you all. Don’t. You’re opening Pandora’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cortez-law-iii/who-you-are-you-say-isn-t-important-but-who-i-am-you-don-t-want-to/) [Cortez Law III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cortez-law-iii/) > [What I did warn about when I testified in front of Congress in 2002, I said if you want to worry about a state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/what-i-did-warn-about-when-i-testified-in-front-of-congress-in-2002-i/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) > [If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you'll be unhappy for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-deliberately-plan-on-being-less-than-you-are-capable-of-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Rumblings of thunder warn us lightning may occur. Crashing thunder tells us lightning has occurred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aegelis/rumblings-of-thunder-warn-us-lightning-may-occur-crashing-thunder/) [Aegelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aegelis/) > [The Holy Ghost will warn us of danger, and it will inspire us to help others in need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/the-holy-ghost-will-warn-us-of-danger-and-it-will-inspire-us-to-help/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [I have to warn you. I promised my mother, a long time ago. She said I had to give folks a chance to walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/i-have-to-warn-you-i-promised-my-mother-a-long-time-ago-she-said-i/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [All a poet can do today is warn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-owen/all-a-poet-can-do-today-is-warn/) [Wilfred Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-owen/) > [I warn you now. Anything happens to my mate or my son, we will hunt you down and rip you into so many pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-warn-you-now-anything-happens-to-my-mate-or-my-son-we-will-hunt-you/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“remind that boy your body is not his home he is a guest warn him to never outstep his welcome again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/remind-that-boy-your-body-is-not-his-home-he-is-a-guest-warn-him-to/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [“You shouldn't have to warn people about your family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-rocha/you-shouldn-t-have-to-warn-people-about-your-family/) [Kit Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-rocha/) > [“At every turn you propose to take, you will find someone to warn you away, to tell you not to take that road, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/at-every-turn-you-propose-to-take-you-will-find-someone-to-warn-you/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [I ought to warn you that my verse is of no interest to people who can think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-betjeman/i-ought-to-warn-you-that-my-verse-is-of-no-interest-to-people-who-can/) [John Betjeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-betjeman/) > [A lot of people might think, 'The end's coming, let's go party, But we're commanded by God to warn people. I wish I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/exley/a-lot-of-people-might-think-the-end-s-coming-let-s-go-party-but-we-re/) [Exley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/exley/) ## More by Gene Kim > [“for those organizations that provided a stock ticker symbol, we found that high performers had 50% higher market capitalization growth over three years. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/for-those-organizations-that-provided-a-stock-ticker-symbol-we-found/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“A critical part of the Second Way is making wait times visible, so you know when your work spends days sitting in someone’s queue—or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/a-critical-part-of-the-second-way-is-making-wait-times-visible-so-you/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“when something does go wrong, we conduct blameless post-mortems, not to punish anyone, but to better understand what caused the accident and how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-something-does-go-wrong-we-conduct-blameless-post-mortems-not-to/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Bill Baker, a distinguished engineer at Microsoft, quipped that we used to treat servers like pets: “You name them and when they get sick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/bill-baker-a-distinguished-engineer-at-microsoft-quipped-that-we-used/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“To even get feedback from our integration process would require twenty-four to thirty-six hours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/to-even-get-feedback-from-our-integration-process-would-require/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“work can bounce between teams endlessly due to incomplete information, or work can be passed onto downstream work centers with problems that remain completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/work-can-bounce-between-teams-endlessly-due-to-incomplete-information/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“practicing five minutes daily is better than practicing once a week for three hours. And if you want to create a genuine culture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/practicing-five-minutes-daily-is-better-than-practicing-once-a-week/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“habits are what enable mastery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/habits-are-what-enable-mastery/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“20% on detailed planning (Their poor throughput and high lead times were misattributed to faulty estimation, and so, hoping to get a better answer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/20-on-detailed-planning-their-poor-throughput-and-high-lead-times/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Features are always a gamble. If you’re lucky, ten percent will get the desired benefits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/features-are-always-a-gamble-if-you-re-lucky-ten-percent-will-get-the/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“I listen to Wes and Patty brainstorm ideas to reduce yet another dependency on Brent when something starts to bother me. Erik called WIP,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/i-listen-to-wes-and-patty-brainstorm-ideas-to-reduce-yet-another/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [The status quo (of development) pre-ordains failure from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/the-status-quo-of-development-pre-ordains-failure-from-the-very/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“high performers were twice as likely to exceed profitability, market share, and productivity goals. And,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/high-performers-were-twice-as-likely-to-exceed-profitability-market/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“we value improvement of our daily work more than daily work itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/we-value-improvement-of-our-daily-work-more-than-daily-work-itself/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) > [“Alert fatigue is the single biggest problem we have right now…We need to be more intelligent about our alerts or we’ll all go insane.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/alert-fatigue-is-the-single-biggest-problem-we-have-right-now-we-need/) [Gene Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) [Explore all 175 Gene Kim quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/) ## More Warn quotes > [Once I will warn you, and then I will fire you! I have a zero-tolerance-plus-one policy for gossip. I will teach you once, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/once-i-will-warn-you-and-then-i-will-fire-you-i-have-a-zero-tolerance/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [I ought to warn you that my verse is of no interest to people who can think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-betjeman/i-ought-to-warn-you-that-my-verse-is-of-no-interest-to-people-who-can/) [John Betjeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-betjeman/) > [“At every turn you propose to take, you will find someone to warn you away, to tell you not to take that road, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/at-every-turn-you-propose-to-take-you-will-find-someone-to-warn-you/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“You shouldn't have to warn people about your family.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kit-rocha/you-shouldn-t-have-to-warn-people-about-your-family/) [Kit Rocha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kit-rocha/) > [“remind that boy your body is not his home he is a guest warn him to never outstep his welcome again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/remind-that-boy-your-body-is-not-his-home-he-is-a-guest-warn-him-to/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [I warn you now. Anything happens to my mate or my son, we will hunt you down and rip you into so many pieces…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-warn-you-now-anything-happens-to-my-mate-or-my-son-we-will-hunt-you/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [All a poet can do today is warn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilfred-owen/all-a-poet-can-do-today-is-warn/) [Wilfred Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilfred-owen/) > [I have to warn you. I promised my mother, a long time ago. She said I had to give folks a chance to walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/i-have-to-warn-you-i-promised-my-mother-a-long-time-ago-she-said-i/) [Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/) > [The Holy Ghost will warn us of danger, and it will inspire us to help others in need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/the-holy-ghost-will-warn-us-of-danger-and-it-will-inspire-us-to-help/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [“Rumblings of thunder warn us lightning may occur. Crashing thunder tells us lightning has occurred.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aegelis/rumblings-of-thunder-warn-us-lightning-may-occur-crashing-thunder/) [Aegelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aegelis/) > [If you deliberately plan on being less than you are capable of being, then I warn you that you'll be unhappy for the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-deliberately-plan-on-being-less-than-you-are-capable-of-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What I did warn about when I testified in front of Congress in 2002, I said if you want to worry about a state,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-clark/what-i-did-warn-about-when-i-testified-in-front-of-congress-in-2002-i/) [Wesley Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-clark/) > [“Who you are, you say, isn’t important, but who I am you don't want to know. I warn you all. Don’t. You’re opening Pandora’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cortez-law-iii/who-you-are-you-say-isn-t-important-but-who-i-am-you-don-t-want-to/) [Cortez Law III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cortez-law-iii/) > [“I am only a dead Sciomancer, but I must warn you of fire and kisses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lita-burke/i-am-only-a-dead-sciomancer-but-i-must-warn-you-of-fire-and-kisses/) [Lita Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lita-burke/) > [A lot of people might think, 'The end's coming, let's go party, But we're commanded by God to warn people. I wish I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/exley/a-lot-of-people-might-think-the-end-s-coming-let-s-go-party-but-we-re/) [Exley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/exley/) [Browse all 54 Warn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/warn/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When deciding whether a message should be ERROR or WARN, imagine being woken up at 4 a.m. Low printer toner is not an ERROR.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gene Kim" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-be-error-or-warn-imagine-being/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Warn" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-be-error-or-warn-imagine-being/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/gene-kim-2268_warn_when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-b_2320021.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/gene-kim-2268_warn_when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-b_2320021.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/gene-kim-2268_warn_when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-b_2320021.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When deciding whether a message should be ERROR or WARN, imagine being woken up at 4 a.m. Low printer toner…” — Gene Kim", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Gene Kim", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kim/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When deciding whether a message should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-be-error-or-warn-imagine-being/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kim/when-deciding-whether-a-message-should-be-error-or-warn-imagine-being/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```