--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rule 1: When all else fails, follow…" description: "\"Rule 1: When all else fails, follow instructions. And Rule 2: Don't be an asshole.\" — Anne Lamott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63b/anne-lamott-188_failing_rule-1-when-all-else-fails-follow-instru_2327004.png" --- # Rule 1: When all else fails, follow instructions. And Rule… ![“Rule 1: When all else fails, follow instructions. And Rule 2: Don't be an asshole.” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63b/anne-lamott-188_failing_rule-1-when-all-else-fails-follow-instru_2327004.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63b/anne-lamott-188_failing_rule-1-when-all-else-fails-follow-instru_2327004.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/63b/anne-lamott-188_failing_rule-1-when-all-else-fails-follow-instru_2327004.png) > “Rule 1: When all else fails, follow instructions. And Rule 2: Don't be an asshole.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When things go wrong, follow clear guidance; also, treat others with basic respect. **In simple terms:** Follow instructions and be kind. Key Takeaway Adopt clear steps and practice courtesy. Themes respect guidance ethics Mood practical empathetic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - workplace crises - team projects - customer service - personal dilemmas Key Concepts procedural compliance human decency Questions to Reflect On - When should you question an instruction? - How do you balance kindness with honesty? A Different Perspective Strict rules may not fit every situation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) [Fails Follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fails-follow-5583099/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Follow Instructions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/follow-instructions-685170/) [Instruction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instruction/) [Instructions Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/instructions-rule-5583097/) [Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule/) [Rule Fails](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-fails-5583098/) ## Related quotes > [We follow instructions to my destination, a chamber for my preparation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/we-follow-instructions-to-my-destination-a-chamber-for-my-preparation/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [You know why there's a Second Amendment? In case the government fails to follow the first one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/you-know-why-there-s-a-second-amendment-in-case-the-government-fails/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [“Love humanity for all its pleasures and faults. Remember to follow the instructions from above and your day will be blessed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anson-brandes/love-humanity-for-all-its-pleasures-and-faults-remember-to-follow-the/) [J. Anson Brandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anson-brandes/) > [Baking is more of a science. You can go with your heart, but if you don't follow the instructions, the whole thing will go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-love/baking-is-more-of-a-science-you-can-go-with-your-heart-but-if-you-don/) [Judi Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-love/) > [“It is far better to follow instructions than to have no instruction at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-hems/it-is-far-better-to-follow-instructions-than-to-have-no-instruction/) [Nigel Hems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-hems/) > [“Go accroding to your own ways, no need to follow all the instructions (criticism) that your competitors (who have an impact by your acts)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noman-amin/go-accroding-to-your-own-ways-no-need-to-follow-all-the-instructions/) [Noman Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noman-amin/) > [I spend a fair amount of time on my computer, but I don't hack into anything. I have to open the manual and follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-ritter/i-spend-a-fair-amount-of-time-on-my-computer-but-i-don-t-hack-into/) [Jason Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-ritter/) > [If you need someone to come out of the sewer with a wire you don't hire someone who needs laborious collective instruction. You let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/if-you-need-someone-to-come-out-of-the-sewer-with-a-wire-you-don-t/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/) [Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/) > [In order to the attaining of all useful knowledge this is most necessary, that we fear God; we are not qualified to profit by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/in-order-to-the-attaining-of-all-useful-knowledge-this-is-most/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [ \[Decoding the human genome sequence\] is the most significant undertaking that we have mounted so far in an organized way in all of science.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/decoding-the-human-genome-sequence-is-the-most-significant/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Children learn best by observing adults action, not by receiving instructions!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-mendoza/children-learn-best-by-observing-adults-action-not-by-receiving/) [Liz Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-mendoza/) > [Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/instruction-does-much-but-encouragement-everything/) [Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Astonish me! (Instruction to photographers)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexey-brodovitch/astonish-me-instruction-to-photographers/) [Alexey Brodovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexey-brodovitch/) > [I think accepting an instruction is part of a player's responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-allardyce/i-think-accepting-an-instruction-is-part-of-a-player-s-responsibility/) [Sam Allardyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-allardyce/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. 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Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Failing quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Apologies are not pass/fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/apologies-are-not-pass-fail/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [Trial by jury. Live wherever you can make a living. How could a government based on such principles fail?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-ambrose/trial-by-jury-live-wherever-you-can-make-a-living-how-could-a/) [Stephen Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-ambrose/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [My willingness to fail gives me the ability to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinod-khosla/my-willingness-to-fail-gives-me-the-ability-to-succeed/) [Vinod Khosla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinod-khosla/) > [I would warn against holsters with devices for quick-draw. Devices always fail when you need them most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-powell/i-would-warn-against-holsters-with-devices-for-quick-draw-devices/) [William Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-powell/) > [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [We can't afford any president to fail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/we-can-t-afford-any-president-to-fail/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [When I paint, I never think of selling. People simply fail to understand that we paint in order to experiment and to develop ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-i-never-think-of-selling-people-simply-fail-to/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I wake up every morning fearing I am going to fail. But I love a challenge, big or small. There's so much I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mone/i-wake-up-every-morning-fearing-i-am-going-to-fail-but-i-love-a/) [Michelle Mone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mone/) > [What I want is to be willing to fail rather than stagnate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dickey/what-i-want-is-to-be-willing-to-fail-rather-than-stagnate/) [James Dickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dickey/) > [In proportion as our inward life fails, we go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/in-proportion-as-our-inward-life-fails-we-go-more-constantly-and/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The very first company I started failed with a great bang. The second one failed a little bit less, but still failed. The third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-levchin/the-very-first-company-i-started-failed-with-a-great-bang-the-second/) [Max Levchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-levchin/) [Browse all 5,634 Failing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rule 1: When all else fails, follow instructions. 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