--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first rule for getting out of holes…" description: "\"“The first rule for getting out of holes is to stop”\" — J.A. Jance" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/j-a-jance-11517_quote_the-first-rule-for-getting-out-of-holes_1844292.jpg" --- # The first rule for getting out of holes is to stop ![“The first rule for getting out of holes is to stop” quote by J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/j-a-jance-11517_quote_the-first-rule-for-getting-out-of-holes_1844292.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/j-a-jance-11517_quote_the-first-rule-for-getting-out-of-holes_1844292.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/604/j-a-jance-11517_quote_the-first-rule-for-getting-out-of-holes_1844292.jpg) > ““The first rule for getting out of holes is to stop”” [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. To escape a difficult situation, the first step is to cease actions that keep you trapped. **In simple terms:** Stop doing what keeps you stuck. Key Takeaway Stop and reassess. Themes problem solving self-improvement change Mood determined hopeful Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career crises - relationship issues - addiction recovery Key Concepts decision making habit breaking Questions to Reflect On - What are you doing that keeps you stuck? - What new habit will you adopt? A Different Perspective Stopping alone doesn’t solve the problem; action is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [First law on holes - when you're in one, stop digging!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/first-law-on-holes-when-you-re-in-one-stop-digging/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [It is a good thing to follow the First Law of Holes: if you are in one, stop digging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/it-is-a-good-thing-to-follow-the-first-law-of-holes-if-you-are-in-one/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [The first rule of holes is when you're in one, stop digging. When you're in three, bring a lot of shovels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/the-first-rule-of-holes-is-when-you-re-in-one-stop-digging-when-you/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [“Healey’s First Law Of Holes: When in one, stop digging.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-healey/healey-s-first-law-of-holes-when-in-one-stop-digging/) [Denis Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-healey/) > [The first rule of holes: When you're in one stop digging.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ivins/the-first-rule-of-holes-when-you-re-in-one-stop-digging/) [Molly Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ivins/) > [I felt the question of the afterlife was the black hole of the personal universe: something for which substantial proof of existence had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-moody/i-felt-the-question-of-the-afterlife-was-the-black-hole-of-the/) [Raymond Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-moody/) > [Nothing ever grows in this rotting old hole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meat-loaf/nothing-ever-grows-in-this-rotting-old-hole/) [Meat Loaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meat-loaf/) > [The first hole made through a piece of stone is a revelation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-moore/the-first-hole-made-through-a-piece-of-stone-is-a-revelation/) [Henry Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-moore/) > [If you dig a hole and it's in the wrong place, digging it deeper isn't going to help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-chwast/if-you-dig-a-hole-and-it-s-in-the-wrong-place-digging-it-deeper-isn-t/) [Seymour Chwast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-chwast/) > [A hole is nothing at all, but you can break your neck in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/a-hole-is-nothing-at-all-but-you-can-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [Never take a mulligan on a par 3. A "hole in three" is not a fun story to relive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-weiss/never-take-a-mulligan-on-a-par-3-a-hole-in-three-is-not-a-fun-story/) [Brian Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-weiss/) > [A hole in one is amazing when you think of the different universes this white mass of molecules has to pass through on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-o-grady/a-hole-in-one-is-amazing-when-you-think-of-the-different-universes/) [Mac O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-o-grady/) > [“God has no interest in filling the holes within us. Rather, He wishes to eliminate them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/god-has-no-interest-in-filling-the-holes-within-us-rather-he-wishes/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [It's not who you know, it's who you blow. I don't have a hole in my jeans for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-richardson/it-s-not-who-you-know-it-s-who-you-blow-i-don-t-have-a-hole-in-my/) [Terry Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-richardson/) > [It was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/it-was-a-hobbit-hole-and-that-means-comfort/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) ## More by J.A. Jance > [“Said with enough fervor, the word “unbelievable” can convey two diametrically opposed opinions. Something can be either unbelievably good or unbelievably bad, depending on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/said-with-enough-fervor-the-word-unbelievable-can-convey-two/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“She was no lithe virgin. Hers was the gentle voluptuousness of a grown woman, with a hint of fullness of breast and hip that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/she-was-no-lithe-virgin-hers-was-the-gentle-voluptuousness-of-a-grown/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“suspected that God would probably come across with a hell of a lot more Christian charity than either one of Jonathan Thomas’s pious parents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/suspected-that-god-would-probably-come-across-with-a-hell-of-a-lot/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“First you get old, and then you die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/first-you-get-old-and-then-you-die/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“directed all visitors to report to the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/directed-all-visitors-to-report-to-the/) [J.A. 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Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“I suppose my mother would have been proud of me. At least I was wearing clean shorts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/i-suppose-my-mother-would-have-been-proud-of-me-at-least-i-was/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“Crosswords do not informed citizens make.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/crosswords-do-not-informed-citizens-make/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“Screwed up and incomprehensible as it may seem to a rank outsider, making a movie is a lot like living life. You work with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/screwed-up-and-incomprehensible-as-it-may-seem-to-a-rank-outsider/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“know that you came through surgery like a champ.” This was all good news, but I didn’t feel like a champ. I felt more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/know-that-you-came-through-surgery-like-a-champ-this-was-all-good/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“Funerals and memorial services are something that have to be gotten through. They honor the dead, but they’re for the living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/funerals-and-memorial-services-are-something-that-have-to-be-gotten/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) > [“seven others still on the loose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-a-jance/seven-others-still-on-the-loose/) [J.A. Jance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) [Explore all 57 J.A. Jance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-a-jance/) ## More Hole quotes > [“A hole ain’t nothing either, but you can still break your neck in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-donati/a-hole-ain-t-nothing-either-but-you-can-still-break-your-neck-in-it/) [Sara Donati](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-donati/) > [Go get your shovel and we'll dig a deep hole. To bury the castle, bury the castle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramore/go-get-your-shovel-and-we-ll-dig-a-deep-hole-to-bury-the-castle-bury/) [Paramore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramore/) > [“Nothing will ever be enough to satisfy the black hole in our hearts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soman-chainani/nothing-will-ever-be-enough-to-satisfy-the-black-hole-in-our-hearts/) [Soman Chainani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soman-chainani/) > [Supermassive black hole.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muse/supermassive-black-hole/) [Muse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muse/) > [continue to advance until you run out of ammunition. Then, dig in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/continue-to-advance-until-you-run-out-of-ammunition-then-dig-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This…hole in the world, man-shaped. Me-shaped. A vacancy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasinda-wilder/this-hole-in-the-world-man-shaped-me-shaped-a-vacancy/) [Jasinda Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasinda-wilder/) > [How deep can you dig the hole before you see the light at the end of the tunnel?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-deep-can-you-dig-the-hole-before-you-see-the-light-at-the-end-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It was a hobbit hole, and that means comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien-2/it-was-a-hobbit-hole-and-that-means-comfort/) [J. R. R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien-2/) > [“And my grandfather... was forever knocked into that middle place, unable to worship a God in whose existence he could not wholly disbelieve. Permanent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/and-my-grandfather-was-forever-knocked-into-that-middle-place-unable/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [I was big into grunge, like Nirvana and Hole, when I was younger, which has been a really huge inspiration because of its rawness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tove-lo/i-was-big-into-grunge-like-nirvana-and-hole-when-i-was-younger-which/) [Tove Lo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tove-lo/) > [The road is opend but you have a hole in your shoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salah-lhouiouri/the-road-is-opend-but-you-have-a-hole-in-your-shoes/) Salah Lhouiouri > [It's not who you know, it's who you blow. I don't have a hole in my jeans for nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-richardson/it-s-not-who-you-know-it-s-who-you-blow-i-don-t-have-a-hole-in-my/) [Terry Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-richardson/) > [“God has no interest in filling the holes within us. Rather, He wishes to eliminate them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/god-has-no-interest-in-filling-the-holes-within-us-rather-he-wishes/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [A hole in one is amazing when you think of the different universes this white mass of molecules has to pass through on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mac-o-grady/a-hole-in-one-is-amazing-when-you-think-of-the-different-universes/) [Mac O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mac-o-grady/) > [Never take a mulligan on a par 3. A "hole in three" is not a fun story to relive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-weiss/never-take-a-mulligan-on-a-par-3-a-hole-in-three-is-not-a-fun-story/) [Brian Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-weiss/) Browse all 401 Hole quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The first rule for getting out of holes is to stop”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "J.A. 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