Rule 6 of Akin's Laws of Spacecraft Design:
6. Everything is linear if plotted log-log with a fat magic marker.
6. Everything is linear if plotted log-log with a fat magic marker.
35. (de Saint-Exupery's Law of Design) A designer knows that he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
Civilization IV had that as a particular technology quote and I can't remember which one
Edit: Oh, of course. "Engineering"!