--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't make a rule about it. The…" description: "\"You can't make a rule about it. The minute you make a rule, it's like putting your wedding pictures in 'In Style' magazine - you're divorced.\" — France..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/frances-mcdormand-3814_like_you-can-t-make-a-rule-about-it-the-minut_1287637.jpg" --- # You can't make a rule about it. The minute you make a… ![“You can't make a rule about it. The minute you make a rule, it's like putting your wedding pictures in 'In Style' magazine - you're divorced.” quote by Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/frances-mcdormand-3814_like_you-can-t-make-a-rule-about-it-the-minut_1287637.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/frances-mcdormand-3814_like_you-can-t-make-a-rule-about-it-the-minut_1287637.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/94d/frances-mcdormand-3814_like_you-can-t-make-a-rule-about-it-the-minut_1287637.jpg) > “You can't make a rule about it. The minute you make a rule, it's like putting your wedding pictures in 'In Style' magazine - you're divorced.” [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rules can stifle authenticity; imposing them often creates the opposite effect of what was intended. **In simple terms:** Rules can ruin authenticity. Key Takeaway Avoid over‑regulating personal expression. Themes authenticity rules creativity Mood reflective critical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - creative projects - personal boundaries Key Concepts social dynamics personal freedom Questions to Reflect On - When does a rule protect versus hinder? - How can flexibility improve outcomes? A Different Perspective Rules may be necessary for order in some contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Style](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/style/) [Wedding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wedding/) ## Related quotes > [“Rule your Rule's, like Nobody can…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yash-khandhar/rule-your-rule-s-like-nobody-can/) Yash Khandhar > [“Golden Rule: If you like cats, you should have a bunch.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-mccartney/golden-rule-if-you-like-cats-you-should-have-a-bunch/) Jennifer McCartney > [I always make it a rule never to look back. Otherwise, I'd ask myself how I could write such piffle and live with myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/i-always-make-it-a-rule-never-to-look-back-otherwise-i-d-ask-myself/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [I try to make it a rule not to meddle in other people's politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-try-to-make-it-a-rule-not-to-meddle-in-other-people-s-politics/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Make it a rule never to give a child a book you would not read yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/make-it-a-rule-never-to-give-a-child-a-book-you-would-not-read/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [Make it a rule of life never to regret and never to look back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-mansfield/make-it-a-rule-of-life-never-to-regret-and-never-to-look-back/) [Katherine Mansfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-mansfield/) > [Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/any-fool-can-make-a-rule-and-any-fool-will-mind-it/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“And I here make a rule-a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-i-here-make-a-rule-a-great-and-lasting-story-is-about-everyone-or/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Every time you make a rule, somebody will think of a way to operate around the rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hsien-loong/every-time-you-make-a-rule-somebody-will-think-of-a-way-to-operate/) [Lee Hsien Loong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hsien-loong/) > [“If you're anything like me, You bite your nails, And laugh when you're nervous. You promise people the world, because that's what they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/if-you-re-anything-like-me-you-bite-your-nails-and-laugh-when-you-re/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [If you look at a magazine and something catches your eye, are you not going to open it up to see what's inside?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-altice/if-you-look-at-a-magazine-and-something-catches-your-eye-are-you-not/) [Summer Altice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-altice/) > [The thing that I like about magazines, paper magazines, and papers in any kind of tangible format is the surprise factor of turning the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-millman/the-thing-that-i-like-about-magazines-paper-magazines-and-papers-in/) [Debbie Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-millman/) > [“Never look a gift horse in the magazine well.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-a-roberts/never-look-a-gift-horse-in-the-magazine-well/) D.A. Roberts > [I love trade magazines - any trade's magazine: by entering into what is taken for granted in a world not your own, you better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-perlstein/i-love-trade-magazines-any-trade-s-magazine-by-entering-into-what-is/) [Rick Perlstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-perlstein/) > [Uh, I wanna be on the cover of Forbes magazine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/uh-i-wanna-be-on-the-cover-of-forbes-magazine/) [Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/) ## More by Frances McDormand > [There's only two givens with choosing acting as a profession: one is you will always be unemployed, always, and it doesn't matter how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/there-s-only-two-givens-with-choosing-acting-as-a-profession-one-is/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I don't think of myself as a movie star and I can pretty easily convince other people that I'm not a movie star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-don-t-think-of-myself-as-a-movie-star-and-i-can-pretty-easily/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Guess what? I am an ordinary person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/guess-what-i-am-an-ordinary-person/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [There is simply too much of my life that is involved in my work that I couldn't replicate in any other way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/there-is-simply-too-much-of-my-life-that-is-involved-in-my-work-that/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I think that cosmetic enhancements in my profession are just an occupational hazard. But I think, more culturally, I'm interested in starting the conversation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-think-that-cosmetic-enhancements-in-my-profession-are-just-an/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I was completely naive about the business of being an actor. My family didn't go to the theater or to the movies. We watched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-was-completely-naive-about-the-business-of-being-an-actor-my-family/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [If, when I leave this earth, I'm remembered for 'Fargo,' so be it. But I think old Marge Gunderson is gonna get a run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/if-when-i-leave-this-earth-i-m-remembered-for-fargo-so-be-it-but-i/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I never read books - and still don't read books - to develop them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-never-read-books-and-still-don-t-read-books-to-develop-them/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I'm not really that interested in going back to playing small supporting roles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-m-not-really-that-interested-in-going-back-to-playing-small/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I'm trained in the theater, and acting, for me, is about the imaginative life I create for myself, not about basing it on something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-m-trained-in-the-theater-and-acting-for-me-is-about-the-imaginative/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [No actor has complete freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/no-actor-has-complete-freedom/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Long-format television is a better way to tell a female story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/long-format-television-is-a-better-way-to-tell-a-female-story/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [Female characters in literature are full. They're messy: they've got runny noses and burp and belch. Unfortunately, in film, female characters don't often have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/female-characters-in-literature-are-full-they-re-messy-they-ve-got/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [At least three times a week, I'm approached by someone who says something about 'Fargo.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/at-least-three-times-a-week-i-m-approached-by-someone-who-says/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) > [I would disagree that America is any more racist or ridiculous than anywhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-mcdormand/i-would-disagree-that-america-is-any-more-racist-or-ridiculous-than/) [Frances McDormand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) [Explore all 121 Frances McDormand quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-mcdormand/) ## More Divorced quotes > [My parents are divorced, and seeing that was really painful for me. Really painful for me. But that's also a big part of why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/my-parents-are-divorced-and-seeing-that-was-really-painful-for-me/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [Nobody wants to get divorced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-miller/nobody-wants-to-get-divorced/) [Ben Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-miller/) > [The psychological condition of fear is divorced from any concrete and true immediate danger. It comes in many forms: unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/the-psychological-condition-of-fear-is-divorced-from-any-concrete-and/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [My parents are divorced, and that was the last thing I wanted for myself. I waited until I was 36 to propose, and I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-duhamel/my-parents-are-divorced-and-that-was-the-last-thing-i-wanted-for/) [Josh Duhamel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-duhamel/) > [We're all divorced from reality; the only question is whether you're paying alimony or receiving it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/we-re-all-divorced-from-reality-the-only-question-is-whether-you-re/) [John Alejandro King Aka The Covert Comic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king-aka-the-covert-comic/) > [In 2011, I announced that I was going to retire, and my agent panicked. So she says: 'No, no, no. You have to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/in-2011-i-announced-that-i-was-going-to-retire-and-my-agent-panicked/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [I have a son, and I was married for twenty years, and I got divorced, and there's a new woman in my life, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-kraftsow/i-have-a-son-and-i-was-married-for-twenty-years-and-i-got-divorced/) [Gary Kraftsow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-kraftsow/) > [Characterization is not divorced from plot, not a coat of paint you slap on after the structure of events is already built. Rather characterization…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-kress/characterization-is-not-divorced-from-plot-not-a-coat-of-paint-you/) [Nancy Kress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-kress/) > [I always worry that people are going to be very confused; sometimes timelines get confused with how movies get made. So when I say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-fischer/i-always-worry-that-people-are-going-to-be-very-confused-sometimes/) [Jenna Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-fischer/) > [It's a really weird thing, modern divorce. I found out I was getting divorced on television. That was kind of weird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/it-s-a-really-weird-thing-modern-divorce-i-found-out-i-was-getting/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [I often say that if you want to really want to understand the contract of marriage, just ask anyone who has been divorced. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-fierstein/i-often-say-that-if-you-want-to-really-want-to-understand-the/) [Harvey Fierstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-fierstein/) > [The hardest thing about being at Sony was not the travel; it was being divorced from the public and private life I had in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-stringer/the-hardest-thing-about-being-at-sony-was-not-the-travel-it-was-being/) [Howard Stringer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-stringer/) > [People don't get married to get divorced. Maybe people weren't meant to be together forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-valli/people-don-t-get-married-to-get-divorced-maybe-people-weren-t-meant/) [Frankie Valli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-valli/) > [I sort of gave up on this whole human adventure a long time ago, divorced myself from it emotionally. It gives me an artistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-sort-of-gave-up-on-this-whole-human-adventure-a-long-time-ago/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) Browse all 651 Divorced quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't make a rule about it. 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