"Whatever happens, it's unexpected." As defined in *84 Charing Cross Road* by Helene Hanff. Said philosophically about unexpected turns in careers, especially in the arts.
Flanagan's Law can be a useful guide to preparation for challenges when combined with
Murphy's Law: it's not just that if anything can go
wrong, it will; it's that whatever goes
wrong will go wrong in a way you didn't expect.
Helene Hanff, popularizer of the phrase, hoped to advance her future as a playwright or actress by reading classic literary works from a very old-fashioned reading list. She began to order books she couldn't find in
New York from an
English bookstore. It was her correspondence and
friendship with the bookstore staff that made her famous: Flanagan's Law.