The Art of Breaking Rules

Do not break rules if you can't shoulder the consequences

Rules are neither good or bad; they are useful. Without rules, the universe would be one chaotic sludge of directionless and purposeless energy.

Edward Hopper’s Morning Sun (1952).

We often think of the common law when referring to rules, but rules are beyond that. A classroom code of conduct that teaches kindergarteners to sit quietly while the teacher reads is a form of rule. Rules can also be a tool of nature, such as the gravitational constant on Earth (i.e., what goes up must come down accelerating at a rate of 9.8 m/s^2). Unspoken psychological reactions, such as feeling hurt when we find out that we’ve been lied to, are also rules—rules of human nature.

Rules are the boundaries that separate the known and the unknown, the familiar and the unfamiliar; it creates spaces where we take refuge when we are overwhelmed. For example, when you’re lost in a foreign country, the first thing you do is follow the local rules—the traffic signs, etiquettes, and cultural norms. This provides you…