About this quote

A habit that looks harmless for one person can be ruinous when everyone adopts it. The useful test is to picture your behavior multiplied across a whole population; if the honest answer is collapse, the flaw is the model itself, not just the single act you happened to notice.

When to use it

• A town where each household quietly drills its own well until the shared aquifer runs dry.
• Shoppers who each grab a little extra during a shortage and together strip the shelves bare.
• An office where everyone pads expense claims 'just slightly,' and the yearly budget quietly implodes.