if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging

English

Proverb

if you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging

1. When finding oneself in a troubling situation, one should first make sure one is not making the situation worse by one's own actions before addressing all other causes.

Usage notes

• This rule is known as the law of holes or Healey's law.

Synonyms

• when you are in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging
• when you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging

See also

• when you're up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp