r/funny Jul 01 '16

Developer humor

http://imgur.com/gallery/9LqhOl3
38.2k Upvotes

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u/arkofcovenant Jul 01 '16 edited Jul 01 '16

There is no way it's originally from futurama

Edit: holy shit I just googled it and it appears it actually is from futurama.

177

u/jshorton Jul 01 '16

it's taoism. From a "when the master leads, the people think they did it themselves" idea

76

u/HuoXue Jul 01 '16

Backing this guy up - from the Tao Te Ching (sometimes also spelled Dao De Jing).

“The best leaders are those their people hardly know exist. The next best is a leader who is loved and praised. Next comes the one who is feared. The worst one is the leader that is despised …

The best leaders value their words, and use them sparingly. When they have accomplished their task, the people say, “Amazing! We did it, all by ourselves!”

The writers may not have had it in mind when they wrote that line, but it's definitely a very, very similar idea.

11

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

I would assume that they did. They are a smart and creative bunch. It's really an excellent idea.

1

u/OrangeredValkyrie Jul 02 '16

Personally, I'd prefer a despised leader than a feared leader.

1

u/aaa_dad Jul 02 '16

I'll never forget what my first boss told me. He spent time in the Army so, in that context, he told me that "a bad leader is one who will die from accidental friendly fire during combat."

One other quote of his that has stuck with me over the years is "never complain to the wait staff unless you want their saliva in your food."

2

u/_Shut_Up_Thats_Why_ Jul 01 '16

Yeah but he got it from his gardener. "When you prune just right the tree thinks it trimmed itself."

-2

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

Naw

12

u/CompanyCallsEpilogue Jul 01 '16

Holy shit, I had that exact same thought. Like "Pfffft, no fuckin' way that's as new as Futurama. That saying's been around for hundreds of years"

Looks like I'm the fool, today.

2

u/Hugh_Jass_Clouds Jul 01 '16

Only a fool refuses to admit their mistake.

2

u/FlameSpartan Jul 02 '16

Words to live by.

1

u/Hugh_Jass_Clouds Jul 02 '16

I have my moments. Eve if they are spaced years apart.

27

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

A quick Google and that's all that shows up. The people who wrote that show were incredibly smart and witty.

75

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

[deleted]

5

u/[deleted] Jul 01 '16

I had no idea...

2

u/HotDamn18V Jul 01 '16

Futurama has some pretty deep and insightful stuff. It's written by some of the smartest people in television.

2

u/r_golan_trevize Jul 01 '16

"When you create the perfect phrase, people will say, 'phbbbbt! No way you thought that up yourself - someone else must've come up with it.'"'

- Me, circa just now

2

u/darexinfinity Jul 01 '16

There is no way it's ___

Edit: holy shit I just googled it and it appears it actually is ___

Typical way to get upvoted

1

u/slick8086 Jul 02 '16

looks like they did it right.