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> I was also taught "it's a poor craftsman that blames their tools", which apparently means "take responsibility for your fuckups", but, to young-me, definitely

> I was also taught "it's a poor craftsman that blames their tools", which apparently means "take responsibility for your fuckups", but, to young-me, definitely sounded more like "you don't deserve nice things". This may be controversial. I think this phrase is very misunderstood. As a former craftsman I think the real meaning was more to do with how a real craftsman only has good tools and maintains them properly. They can't blame their tools, because they are beyond reproach.

jasonpeacock 3y ago
A good craftsman learns how to use their tools to the best of their ability, including accommodating for their short-comings. I've seen amazing work come from very simple/inexpensive tools, or even inappropriate tools, and crappy work come from very good tools. The poor craftsman says "my works sucks because the tools suck", while the good craftsman learns to use what they have.
- _dain_ 3y ago
  >while the good craftsman learns to use what they have No, he goes out and gets new ones or fixes/builds them himself. That's how I always understood the saying; the emphasis is on the word "blame" not the word "tool". It's about people who sit around and complain rather than taking action to fix the problem. It doesn't mean you should put up with shitty tools.
  - nerpderp82 3y ago
    It is of course both. You also don't try and build what your skill and your tools cannot accomplish and then blame the tools for the outcome. The other adage that goes in concert with craftspeople shouldn't be blaming their tools is that, "true artists work within the limits of the medium".
  - jasonpeacock 3y ago
    Your interpretation appears to be unique. At quick search shows the common understanding to be about taking responsibility for your work and not blaming your tools. There's nothing about changing your tools: - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_bad_workman_always_blames_his_tools https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_bad_workman_always_blames_h... - https://poemanalysis.com/proverb/a-bad-workman-blames-his-tools/ https://poemanalysis.com/proverb/a-bad-workman-blames-his-to... - https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+poor+craftsman+blames+his+tools https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+poor+craftsman+blames... - https://usdictionary.com/idioms/a-bad-workman-blames-his-tools/ https://usdictionary.com/idioms/a-bad-workman-blames-his-too... - https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/a-bad-workman-blames-his-tools https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/a-bad-workman-...
    - jimnotgym 3y ago
      Counter evidence... His interpretation is similar to mine, higher up this thread. It is therefore far from unique. I think it is also not at all unique for scholars to hear a saying and assume a meaning from it, and because they wrote it down on wiktionary it becomes the 'official version'. Whereas my version came from working with other tradesmen for a decade...non of whom were scholars, but were the owners of the culture.
  - johnnyanmac 3y ago
    some get better tools, some become experts at MS Paint and make you wonder how they do it. and everything in-between. I always interpreted it as "a good craftman understands fundamentals". Photoshop can't save a bad artist. but a good artist can work without PS, even if it costs efficiency. can doesn't mean they will, though.
snoopen 3y ago
A good craftsman should also be capable of making and improving their own tools. A woodworker with a bad chisel simply reshapes it. Relating back to software as tools, this only works if you have access to the tool code.
- angry_moose 3y ago
  That only partially works. There's a huge difference in steel quality among chisels/cutting tools. Anyone can sharpen a $2 chisel so it cuts nicely once, but a $50 chisel will hold its edge longer and cut nicely hundreds of times. There's only so much maintenance you can do on a bad tool.
fasterthanlime 3y ago
I love that take on it, thanks for reconciling me with this saying.

jasonpeacock 3y ago

A good craftsman learns how to use their tools to the best of their ability, including accommodating for their short-comings. I've seen amazing work come from very simple/inexpensive tools, or even inappropriate tools, and crappy work come from very good tools. The poor craftsman says "my works sucks because the tools suck", while the good craftsman learns to use what they have.

_dain_ 3y ago
>while the good craftsman learns to use what they have No, he goes out and gets new ones or fixes/builds them himself. That's how I always understood the saying; the emphasis is on the word "blame" not the word "tool". It's about people who sit around and complain rather than taking action to fix the problem. It doesn't mean you should put up with shitty tools.
- nerpderp82 3y ago
  It is of course both. You also don't try and build what your skill and your tools cannot accomplish and then blame the tools for the outcome. The other adage that goes in concert with craftspeople shouldn't be blaming their tools is that, "true artists work within the limits of the medium".
- jasonpeacock 3y ago
  Your interpretation appears to be unique. At quick search shows the common understanding to be about taking responsibility for your work and not blaming your tools. There's nothing about changing your tools: - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_bad_workman_always_blames_his_tools https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/a_bad_workman_always_blames_h... - https://poemanalysis.com/proverb/a-bad-workman-blames-his-tools/ https://poemanalysis.com/proverb/a-bad-workman-blames-his-to... - https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+poor+craftsman+blames+his+tools https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/a+poor+craftsman+blames... - https://usdictionary.com/idioms/a-bad-workman-blames-his-tools/ https://usdictionary.com/idioms/a-bad-workman-blames-his-too... - https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/a-bad-workman-blames-his-tools https://writingexplained.org/idiom-dictionary/a-bad-workman-...
  - jimnotgym 3y ago
    Counter evidence... His interpretation is similar to mine, higher up this thread. It is therefore far from unique. I think it is also not at all unique for scholars to hear a saying and assume a meaning from it, and because they wrote it down on wiktionary it becomes the 'official version'. Whereas my version came from working with other tradesmen for a decade...non of whom were scholars, but were the owners of the culture.
- johnnyanmac 3y ago
  some get better tools, some become experts at MS Paint and make you wonder how they do it. and everything in-between. I always interpreted it as "a good craftman understands fundamentals". Photoshop can't save a bad artist. but a good artist can work without PS, even if it costs efficiency. can doesn't mean they will, though.

snoopen 3y ago

A good craftsman should also be capable of making and improving their own tools. A woodworker with a bad chisel simply reshapes it. Relating back to software as tools, this only works if you have access to the tool code.

angry_moose 3y ago
That only partially works. There's a huge difference in steel quality among chisels/cutting tools. Anyone can sharpen a $2 chisel so it cuts nicely once, but a $50 chisel will hold its edge longer and cut nicely hundreds of times. There's only so much maintenance you can do on a bad tool.

fasterthanlime 3y ago

I love that take on it, thanks for reconciling me with this saying.