pajautā! - Izņēmumi

kolēģis indulgence reiz bija iemetis tekstu, ka jamais teiciens ir fragments no kāda paziņojuma iekš senās Romas barakām. Mol, principā uz čuču jābūt 10 vakarā (piemēram), bet jaunkareivji Bērziņš un Kalniņš ir nopelnījuši iespēju atgriezties tikai vienpadsmitos. Un piezīme, ka tas ir izņēmums, kas neatceļ likumu, likums stāv, kā briedis par spīti izņēmumam.

Nu, un no šitā laika gaitā ir palicis tas, ka izņēmums apstiprina likumu.

man gan šķiet, ka šajā kontekstā veiksmīgāka vārdu izvēle būtu
izņēmumi apliecina likumu, nevis apstiprina.

They say it comes from the medieval Latin aphorism Exceptio probat regulam. Probat means "prove" in the sense of "test," as in "proving ground" or "the proof is in the pudding." So "the exception proves the rule" means a close look at exceptions helps us determine a rule's validity.

If Latinists understand it that way, however, they're pretty much alone. I've looked up citations of this saying dating back to 1664, and in every case it was used in the brain-dead manner we're accustomed to today — that is, to suggest that non-conforming cases, by the mere fact of their existence, somehow confirm or support a generalization. Obviously they do nothing of the kind. We like to think proverbs become proverbial because they're true; this one is an exception. It certainly doesn't prove the rule.

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/731/whats-the-meaning-of-the-expression-thats-the-exception-that-proves-the-rule