<P> The first law of holes, or the law of holes, is an adage which states that "if you find yourself in a hole, stop digging". Digging a hole makes it deeper and therefore harder to get back out, which is used as a metaphor that when in an untenable position, it is best to stop carrying on and exacerbating the situation . </P> <P> The adage has been attributed to a number of sources . It appeared in print on page six of The Washington Post dated October 25, 1911, in the form: "Nor would a wise man, seeing that he was in a hole, go to work and blindly dig it deeper ..." In The Bankers Magazine, it was published in 1964 as: "Let me tell you about the law of holes: If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging ." </P> <P> In the United Kingdom, it has been referred to as "Healey's first law of holes" after politician Denis Healey, who used the adage in the 1980s and later . </P>

Who said if you find yourself in a hole stop digging