--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The wheels are turning, but the hamsters…" description: "\"The wheels are turning, but the hamsters are all dead. Make it idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot. I learned long ago, never to wrestle w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/george-bernard-shaw-68_animal_the-wheels-are-turning-but-the-hamsters_1226552.jpg" --- # The wheels are turning, but the hamsters are all dead… ![“The wheels are turning, but the hamsters are all dead. Make it idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot. I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig, you get dirty; and besides, the pig likes it.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/george-bernard-shaw-68_animal_the-wheels-are-turning-but-the-hamsters_1226552.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/george-bernard-shaw-68_animal_the-wheels-are-turning-but-the-hamsters_1226552.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/george-bernard-shaw-68_animal_the-wheels-are-turning-but-the-hamsters_1226552.jpg) > “The wheels are turning, but the hamsters are all dead. Make it idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot. I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig, you get dirty; and besides, the pig likes it.” [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Complex systems fail when over‑engineered; trying to simplify can create new problems **In simple terms:** Over‑engineering leads to failure Key Takeaway Beware of over‑complicating solutions Themes complexity failure humor Mood cautionary wry Type satirical advice When to use this quote - Project management - software development - policy making - team leadership Key Concepts Systems design human error unintended consequences Questions to Reflect On - When is complexity necessary? - How can you test for unintended side effects? A Different Perspective It may underestimate the value of simplicity in some contexts ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Funny business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-business/) [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) ## Related quotes > [I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-learned-long-ago-never-to-wrestle-with-a-pig-you-get-dirty-and/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“One of the things I learned firsthand as a child, growing up in Zacatecas, Mexico was... that when you fight with a pig, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/one-of-the-things-i-learned-firsthand-as-a-child-growing-up-in/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [Never get into a wrestling match with a pig. You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/never-get-into-a-wrestling-match-with-a-pig-you-both-get-dirty-and/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Administrators are like pigs; don't wrestle with a pig because you both get dirty and the pig likes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-meyer/administrators-are-like-pigs-don-t-wrestle-with-a-pig-because-you/) [Don Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-meyer/) > [Never Fight With A Pig. You Will Get Dirty, And The Pig Will Love It.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/never-fight-with-a-pig-you-will-get-dirty-and-the-pig-will-love-it/) Pacifiersucker > [When you get in the mud with a pig, you get dirty and the pig gets happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-altucher/when-you-get-in-the-mud-with-a-pig-you-get-dirty-and-the-pig-gets/) [James Altucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-altucher/) > [When you wrestle with a pig, he has fun, and you just end up dirty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/when-you-wrestle-with-a-pig-he-has-fun-and-you-just-end-up-dirty/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [I remembered something my first partner had told me. Never wrestle with a pig, Lindsay. You both get dirty. The pig likes it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/i-remembered-something-my-first-partner-had-told-me-never-wrestle/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [Dont ever wrestle with a pig. Youll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-youll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dont ever wrestle with a pig u'll both get dirty but the pig will enj0y it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/udechukwu-d0navan/dont-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-u-ll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/) Udechukwu D0navan > [“As Bill likes to say, never wrestle a pig in the mud.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/as-bill-likes-to-say-never-wrestle-a-pig-in-the-mud/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [Don't ever wrestle with a pig. You'll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cale-yarborough/don-t-ever-wrestle-with-a-pig-you-ll-both-get-dirty-but-the-pig-will/) [Cale Yarborough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cale-yarborough/) > [There's no business like show business, but there are several businesses like accounting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/there-s-no-business-like-show-business-but-there-are-several/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [The higher a monkey climbs, the more you see of its behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stilwell/the-higher-a-monkey-climbs-the-more-you-see-of-its-behind/) [Joseph Stilwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stilwell/) > [The tragedy is that Dell didn't win it - we lost it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-tragedy-is-that-dell-didn-t-win-it-we-lost-it/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## More by George Bernard Shaw > [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) [Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) ## More Animal quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. 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He becomes uniquely human when he reaches out for the superfluous and extravagant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/when-grubbing-for-necessities-man-is-still-an-animal-he-becomes/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I'm 38 and I'm single, and I'm having my most intense and gratifying relationship with a dog. But we all learn about love in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-knapp/i-m-38-and-i-m-single-and-i-m-having-my-most-intense-and-gratifying/) [Caroline Knapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-knapp/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-horse-a-horse-my-kingdom-for-a-horse/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“it is a federal system of sadistic torture, vivisection, and animal genocide, which has been carried on for decades under the fraudulent guise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-tobias/it-is-a-federal-system-of-sadistic-torture-vivisection-and-animal/) [Michael Tobias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-tobias/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. It makes no sense. None whatsoever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-l-francione/animal-rights-without-veganism-is-like-human-rights-with-slavery-it/) [Gary L. Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The wheels are turning, but the hamsters are all dead. Make it idiot-proof and someone will make a better idiot. 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