I was driving home today and was listening to the radio. A woman who was being interviewed about the economy (or a related topic) said at one point "but the devils are in the details."
I'm going to use this the next time I am confronted with a problem whose details are particularly vexing to work out. Some of these problems have more than one devil in the details - they are not easy!
This is a fairly common expression, but one we too often forget! It fits nicely with Garrett Hardin's First Law of Ecology, which states "You cannot do only one thing."
It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society. -J. Krishnamurti
Interesting use of the word focus. I put the phrase into Google and found several Canadian sites that use the phrase. Was your union president by any chance Canadian?