is it possible for a piece of #writing advice to be both the best and the worst?

i feel this way about 'show, don't tell.' when i first learned about this rule (back in high school) it was a big 'aha' moment for me. but the more high quality books i read (literary classics, Nobel or Pulitzer winners etc.) the more i realized that great writers both show and tell all the time. they're just really good at both skills, and they know when to use them judiciously. 

 @8b7d6704 This is a great observation. I agree both are appropriate, but I find that each method affects the pacing, and it's not that one picks up the pace and another slows it. When a scene is iffy or loquacious and I find I'm telling, I try showing and vice-versa in revision (I don't mess with such trivia while composing story). I pick what makes the scene work best. Being aware of "the advice" is what will make you a better author because you'll see things.