---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The golden rule is that there are no…"
description: "\"The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.\" — George Bernard Shaw"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26d/george-bernard-shaw-68_golden_the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-gol_1599749.png"
---

#  The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.

![“The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.” quote by George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26d/george-bernard-shaw-68_golden_the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-gol_1599749.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26d/george-bernard-shaw-68_golden_the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-gol_1599749.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26d/george-bernard-shaw-68_golden_the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-gol_1599749.png)

> “The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.”

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

There are no universal, unchanging rules; context determines what works.

**In simple terms:** No absolute rules exist.

Key Takeaway

Adapt to circumstances.

Themes

flexibility relativism critical thinking

Mood

skeptical reflective

Type

philosophical critical

When to use this quote

- business decisions
- personal relationships
- policy making
- education
- conflict resolution

Key Concepts

philosophy ethics contextualism

Questions to Reflect On

- When do you rely on a rule that may not fit?
- How can you test a rule’s relevance?

A Different Perspective

Rules may be useful heuristics but can become constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden/) [Golden rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden-rule/) [Golden Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden-rules-602407/) [Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule/) [Rule Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-golden-4070368/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/)

## Related quotes

> [My first rule - the golden rule - ensures that over the economic cycle the Government will borrow only to invest, and that current…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/my-first-rule-the-golden-rule-ensures-that-over-the-economic-cycle/)

[Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/)

> [“Let me assure you, the struggle is real. I clicked my tongue, ready to fire back a snarky comment about Captain Obvious, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-arcane/let-me-assure-you-the-struggle-is-real-i-clicked-my-tongue-ready-to/)

[Annie Arcane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-arcane/)

> [“The golden rule is even more golden in our hyperconnected world. An important lesson to learn: If you talk about someone on the Internet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-kleon/the-golden-rule-is-even-more-golden-in-our-hyperconnected-world-an/)

[Austin Kleon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-kleon/)

> [From the earliest times man has been engaged in a search for general rules whereby to turn the order of natural phenomena to his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-g-frazer/from-the-earliest-times-man-has-been-engaged-in-a-search-for-general/)

[James G. Frazer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-g-frazer/)

> [I'll never make any resolutions. Drop all resolutions! Let life be a natural spontaneity. The only golden rule is that there are no golden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/i-ll-never-make-any-resolutions-drop-all-resolutions-let-life-be-a/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [Golden Rules for successful life Golden Rules for successful life. 1. Be honest in poverty 2. Be simple when wealthy. 3. Be polite in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shy-boy/golden-rules-for-successful-life-golden-rules-for-successful-life-1/)

[SHy BOy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shy-boy/)

> [At the end of the day, the Golden Rule is called the Golden Rule for a reason - do unto others as you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-kroeger/at-the-end-of-the-day-the-golden-rule-is-called-the-golden-rule-for-a/)

[Chad Kroeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-kroeger/)

> [My mother was a Bible student, and when I was a youngster, both my mother and father would say, 'If people would only live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monte-irvin/my-mother-was-a-bible-student-and-when-i-was-a-youngster-both-my/)

[Monte Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monte-irvin/)

> [The Golden Rule works like gravitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fletcher-dole/the-golden-rule-works-like-gravitation/)

[Charles Fletcher Dole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fletcher-dole/)

> [We live by the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-o-meara-sanders/we-live-by-the-golden-rule-do-unto-others-as-you-would-have-them-do/)

[Jane O'Meara Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-o-meara-sanders/)

> [You can have the 'golden rule' - do unto others as you would have others do unto you. But then you take it one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-beals/you-can-have-the-golden-rule-do-unto-others-as-you-would-have-others/)

[Jennifer Beals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-beals/)

> [The golden rule in the arts, as far as I am concerned, is that all rules are meant to be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/the-golden-rule-in-the-arts-as-far-as-i-am-concerned-is-that-all/)

[Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/)

> [The most important guideline when it comes to argument is the golden rule. If someone were addressing your point, what tone, what overall approach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-eisler/the-most-important-guideline-when-it-comes-to-argument-is-the-golden/)

[Barry Eisler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-eisler/)

> [I believe in the Golden Rule - The Man with the Gold... Rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mr-t/i-believe-in-the-golden-rule-the-man-with-the-gold-rules/)

[Mr. T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mr-t/)

> [3 Golden Rules of Life ¥ Who is helping you, don't forget them. Who is loving you, don't hate them. &amp; Who believes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/3-golden-rules-of-life-who-is-helping-you-don-t-forget-them-who-is/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by George Bernard Shaw

> [I love little children too but I don't cut off their heads and stick them in vases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/i-love-little-children-too-but-i-don-t-cut-off-their-heads-and-stick/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Blasphemy and sedition (meaning the truth about Church and State).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/blasphemy-and-sedition-meaning-the-truth-about-church-and-state/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [In the arts of life, man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-life-man-invents-nothing-but-in-the-arts-of-death-he/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [“My religious convictions and scientific views cannot at present be more specifically defined than as those of a believer in creative evolution. I desire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/my-religious-convictions-and-scientific-views-cannot-at-present-be/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/what-a-man-believes-may-be-ascertained-not-from-his-creed-but-from/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [You are my inspiration and my folly. You are my light across the sea, my million nameless joys, and my day's wage. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/you-are-my-inspiration-and-my-folly-you-are-my-light-across-the-sea/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/men-have-to-do-some-awfully-mean-things-to-keep-up-their/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The schoolmaster is the person who takes the children off the parents' hands for a consideration. That is to say, he establishes a child…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-schoolmaster-is-the-person-who-takes-the-children-off-the-parents/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/as-long-as-i-have-a-want-i-have-a-reason-for-living-satisfaction-is/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The camera can represent flesh so superbly that, if I dared, I would never photograph a figure without asking that figure to take its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-camera-can-represent-flesh-so-superbly-that-if-i-dared-i-would/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [A man who is not a communist at the age of twenty is a fool. Any man who is still communist at the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/a-man-who-is-not-a-communist-at-the-age-of-twenty-is-a-fool-any-man/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [But to admire a strong person and to live under that strong person’s thumb are two different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/but-to-admire-a-strong-person-and-to-live-under-that-strong-person-s/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [Socialism is the same as Communism, only better English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/socialism-is-the-same-as-communism-only-better-english/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [The person who is ignorant enough to believe that his nourishment depends on meat is in a horrible dilemma.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-person-who-is-ignorant-enough-to-believe-that-his-nourishment/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

> [In the arts of peace Man is a bungler.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/in-the-arts-of-peace-man-is-a-bungler/)

[George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

[Explore all 1,640 George Bernard Shaw quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/)

## More Golden quotes

> [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/)

[Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/)

> [Apuleius married a rich widow, then wrote \_The Golden Ass\_.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/apuleius-married-a-rich-widow-then-wrote-the-golden-ass/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/)

[Walsham How](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walsham-how/)

> [Just because the Americans are so good at rattling out accessible and cheap junk food, nobody looks twice when it comes to their food.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-oliver/just-because-the-americans-are-so-good-at-rattling-out-accessible-and/)

[Jamie Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-oliver/)

> [“Yes, when I get big and have my own home, no plush chairs and lace curtains for me. And no rubber plants. I'll have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/yes-when-i-get-big-and-have-my-own-home-no-plush-chairs-and-lace/)

[Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/)

> [Most people put money in their piggy bank. I buy a goose that lays golden eggs over and over again. That's what an asset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/most-people-put-money-in-their-piggy-bank-i-buy-a-goose-that-lays/)

[Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/)

> [My featherbed is deep and soft, and there I’ll lay you down, I’ll dress you all in yellow silk and on your head a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-featherbed-is-deep-and-soft-and-there-i-ll-lay-you-down-i-ll-dress/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/your-name-is-a-golden-bell-hung-in-my-heart-i-would-break-my-body-to/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [We're in a golden age for television. TV 25 years ago was slow, plodding , boring. The production values were not great. Today it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-dunbar/we-re-in-a-golden-age-for-television-tv-25-years-ago-was-slow/)

[Adrian Dunbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-dunbar/)

> [You are quite, quite wrong if you think that ... I find your happiness painful. What matters is that happiness - the golden day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/you-are-quite-quite-wrong-if-you-think-that-i-find-your-happiness/)

[Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/)

> [We dance, we dance. You hold the thread of my soul. You spin, you spin. And you unravel the part from the whole. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/we-dance-we-dance-you-hold-the-thread-of-my-soul-you-spin-you-spin/)

[Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/)

> [“I have found it an amusing strategy, when asked whether I am an atheist, to point out that the questioner is also an atheist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/i-have-found-it-an-amusing-strategy-when-asked-whether-i-am-an/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [Let everyone regulate his conduct... by the golden rule of doing to others as in similar circumstances we would have them do to us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/let-everyone-regulate-his-conduct-by-the-golden-rule-of-doing-to/)

[William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/)

> [For years, I had a top secret clearance and never left Russia. Just once did I go to Bulgaria with my wife for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-kalashnikov/for-years-i-had-a-top-secret-clearance-and-never-left-russia-just/)

[Mikhail Kalashnikov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-kalashnikov/)

> [By sowing frugality we reap liberty, a golden harvest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agesilaus-ii/by-sowing-frugality-we-reap-liberty-a-golden-harvest/)

[Agesilaus II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agesilaus-ii/)

[Browse all 2,034 Golden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Bernard Shaw"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-golden-rules/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Golden"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-golden-rules/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26d/george-bernard-shaw-68_golden_the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-gol_1599749.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26d/george-bernard-shaw-68_golden_the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-gol_1599749.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26d/george-bernard-shaw-68_golden_the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-gol_1599749.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The golden rule is that there are no golden rules.” — George Bernard Shaw",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "George Bernard Shaw",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The golden rule is that there...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-golden-rules/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/the-golden-rule-is-that-there-are-no-golden-rules/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
