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metalliqaz
I have definitely seen that one several times.

Here's one that might beat it: "developers, developers" for lots of Balmer quotes.

JosephRedfern
"...you can already build such a system yourself quite trivially by getting an FTP account, mounting it locally with curlftpfs, and then using SVN or CVS on the mounted filesystem."
Ozzie_osman
Great one.

More broadly is always some version of "couldn't you just do X?" in response to any new product.

benjaminsuch
Honestly I ask this question a lot, but without a passive-aggressive intention. I just don't understand everything and I hope the asked person can explain it to me well enough, that I understand why.

It's usually really helpful for both.

colmvp
I think that's fair as consumers will certainly pose the same question.
Cthulhu_
"Couldn't you just put a text file in Dropbox instead of use a todo app / password manager?"

"Couldn't you just rent a server instead of Amazon's?"

bloniac
There’s simply no better smack down of the old “I could build this in a weekend” than for the idea to become a multi billion dollar company.
Cthulhu_
Picture rsync... as a service!

I mean I would've thought that by now the competition for Dropbox would be as aggressive as for todo apps, but I guess it's more complicated due to legal (= content checking) issues.

Decker87
MS and Google have their competitors + the demand is drying up.
segfaultbuserr
> Picture rsync... as a service!

https://rsync.net

Not the cheapest storage, but it's a very good service.

> Cloud Storage for Offsite Backup

> We give you an empty UNIX filesystem to access with any SSH tool. Built on ZFS for data security and fault tolerance. You can back up any other cloud with your rsync.net account.

> rsync / sftp / scp / borg / rclone / restic / git-annex

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m_a_g
"correlation does not imply causation" must be a strong contender.
IshKebab
It's a really misleading saying because of the ambiguity of "implies". It's true if you interpret "implies" in the mathematical sense - i.e. "proves". But it's not true if you interpret "implies" in the normal sense - i.e. "suggests".

Correlation does not prove causation, but it does suggest it.

WmyEE0UsWAwC2i
When someone mentions correlation, they imply a linear relation between the correlated variables and a range of values for which that relation is valid.

Only when that model is further validated correlation suggests causation.

IshKebab
> When someone mentions correlation, they imply a linear relation between the correlated variables and a range of values for which that relation is valid.

Yeah that's what correlation means?

> Only when that model is further validated correlation suggests causation.

No! It suggests causation already. There may not be causation but it definitely suggests it.

For example if I find that eating fast food correlates with BMI then there's a pretty clear suggestion that eating fast food causes increased BMI. It might not be the case! But it's clearly very suggestive.

WmyEE0UsWAwC2i
I believe I understand your point, but there these options (as I see things):

1. There is little correlation, but there is actual causation (e.g: a cricle)

2. There is correlation, but it turns out to be a fluke later during validation.

So, yes. It suggests but in both cases I'd rather continue checkcing

corobo
Reminded me of xkcd 522[1] alt text haha

> Correlation doesn't imply causation, but it does waggle its eyebrows suggestively and gesture furtively while mouthing 'look over there'

[1] https://xkcd.com/552/

orev
And this part is always omitted: “you can’t have causation without correlation”
marcosdumay
Well, you can. You just need confounding causes.
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rsp1984
Having seen it play out 1st hand more than once, I gotta say, if it turns out to be the most quoted quote on HN, it is well deserved. I have made many mistakes in my career that I could have easily avoided by just keeping it in mind.

It might need a modern-day makeover though as it equally applies to women.

tonyedgecombe
"Citation needed" which I find annoying and always downvote.
tester34
I know that it may be abused, but sometimes people are just curious
tgv
"But that phrase doesn't really express curiosity, more unwillingness to accept. Anyway, it isn't a quote."

-- Alfred Einstein

samtho
I think what turns people off of this is that the phrase “Citation needed” carries an additional connotation of passive-aggression and is not a great way to ask for a source. It’s most notably used (outside of Media Wiki) as a rude way to say, “I challenge you to back this up” at best or “I know this is bullshit” at worst.
esens
"Bitcoin is a Ponzi scheme." Meanwhile Coinbase goes public for $100B.

"The stock market can remain irrational longer than you can remain solvent."

cletus
That’s a good quote that I have used many times. Most used? Hard to say. What I find is that popularity is constantly changing. Example: we went through a good year or two of EVERY… SINGLE… TITLE… that ended in a question mark would have someone comment about Betteridge’s Law like what they were saying was somehow witty, insightful or novel when anyone who reads HN has seen it 5684269537 times already. That one was annoying.
nlstitch
"It depends" <- 100% sure its this.
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herodoturtle
"Thanks dang"
meowster
It might be the most-repeated phrase, but I wouldn't call it a quote.
herodoturtle
I don't think of it as a quote either.

Why did you single out my response amongst all the other similarly tongue-in-cheek replies?

temp0826
"640k should be enough for anyone"

-Abraham Lincoln

samspenc
"Don't believe everything you read on the Internet."

- Also Abraham Lincoln circa 1864 :)

BizarroLand
"I don't care what anyone says, 14 inches is enough for any woman"

-Also Abraham Lincoln, just before finding out he was to be president in late 1860

Causality1
How about "Please don't break the site guidelines"
wbharding
Possible contenders:

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it”

“Never attribute to malice what can be adequately described by stupidity.”

rrdharan
There are several that I find to be painfully recurrent at this point:

- hanlon’s razor references

- xkcd 927 (competing standards)

- you aren’t the user you’re the product

Some days it feels like we’ve reached the point where an AI could generate a believable comment thread for a typical front page story…

bdcravens
xkcd 538 ($5 wrench) is also up there
jamil7
"Do you have a source for that?"