If something is working adequately, there's no need to change or improve it unnecessarily.
This phrase emerged in American English in the mid-20th century, often attributed to government and military contexts where unnecessary modifications could create new problems. It became popular business advice during the 1970s-80s as a caution against over-engineering and unnecessary innovation.
This phrase represents a fascinating tension in human nature between our drive to improve things and our fear of making them worse. In technology, this principle battles against "feature creep" - the tendency to keep adding functions until simple, working systems become complex and unreliable. Sometimes the wisest innovation is knowing when to stop innovating!
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