--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Obeying the rules might be smart, but…" description: "\"Obeying the rules might be smart, but it's not as nearly as much fun.\" — Jill Shalvis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/jill-shalvis-838_being-smart_obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it_3174509.png" --- # Obeying the rules might be smart, but it's not as nearly… ![“Obeying the rules might be smart, but it's not as nearly as much fun.” quote by Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/jill-shalvis-838_being-smart_obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it_3174509.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/jill-shalvis-838_being-smart_obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it_3174509.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/jill-shalvis-838_being-smart_obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it_3174509.png) > “Obeying the rules might be smart, but it's not as nearly as much fun.” [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Following rules can be wise, yet it often lacks excitement and spontaneity. **In simple terms:** Rules are safe but boring. Key Takeaway Balance order with fun. Themes discipline creativity balance Mood playful reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - team projects - personal hobbies - social events - creative work - learning new skills Key Concepts risk-taking joy freedom Questions to Reflect On - How can you add playfulness to structured tasks? - When does rule‑breaking improve outcomes? A Different Perspective Rules may stifle innovation if followed blindly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-smart/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) ## Related quotes > [Some people believe that fairness comes with obeying the rules. I'm one of those people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-green/some-people-believe-that-fairness-comes-with-obeying-the-rules-i-m/) [Al Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-green/) > [A man can go along obeying all the rules and then it don't matter a damn anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/a-man-can-go-along-obeying-all-the-rules-and-then-it-don-t-matter-a/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [“either you obey rules imposed from the outside, or you discover the deepest longings of your own heart and try to go with them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright/either-you-obey-rules-imposed-from-the-outside-or-you-discover-the/) [N.T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright/) > [If you guys continue this way, you're going to live your entire lives being cheated by others until you die. In this society, there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-guys-continue-this-way-you-re-going-to-live-your-entire-lives/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As I get older I'm starting to sense that being a grown-up isn't nearly as much fun as children want to believe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mass/as-i-get-older-i-m-starting-to-sense-that-being-a-grown-up-isn-t/) [Wendy Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-mass/) > [Nearly everything that was fun, of course, was also a little dangerous: riding roller coasters, skydiving, gambling, sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nearly-everything-that-was-fun-of-course-was-also-a-little-dangerous/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [New rules. If you are smart enough to live, you won’t hit Charles’s mate in front of his father.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/new-rules-if-you-are-smart-enough-to-live-you-won-t-hit-charles-s/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [Obeying all rules in life is like watching a century old film.. …S0 boRing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/obeying-all-rules-in-life-is-like-watching-a-century-old-film-s0/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being Christian is not just obeying orders but means being in Christ, thinking like him, acting like him, loving like him; it means letting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/being-christian-is-not-just-obeying-orders-but-means-being-in-christ/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Stop obeying a dictator; you will then see that he is nothing! Stop obeying a king; you will then see that he is nothing!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/stop-obeying-a-dictator-you-will-then-see-that-he-is-nothing-stop/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The slave should be resigned to his lot, in obeying his master he is obeying God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/the-slave-should-be-resigned-to-his-lot-in-obeying-his-master-he-is/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/he-who-has-never-learned-to-obey-cannot-be-a-good-commander/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [One of the first things one notices in a backward country is that children are still obeying their parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-first-things-one-notices-in-a-backward-country-is-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Have the moral courage to stand firm in obeying God’s will, even if you have to stand alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulisses-soares/have-the-moral-courage-to-stand-firm-in-obeying-god-s-will-even-if/) [Ulisses Soares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulisses-soares/) ## More by Jill Shalvis > [“But dammit, she was tired. Tired of doing what was expected, tired of feeling like she was missing something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/but-dammit-she-was-tired-tired-of-doing-what-was-expected-tired-of/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“And not that I don't love those words, but what were you wrong about?" "Walking away from you." She stepped into him. "I'm done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/and-not-that-i-don-t-love-those-words-but-what-were-you-wrong-about/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“This put her in the possession of two guns. I Love Lucy does Criminal Minds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/this-put-her-in-the-possession-of-two-guns-i-love-lucy-does-criminal/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“What is it with us?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/what-is-it-with-us/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“The kiss had been shockingly... wow. Which had led to one thing or another, and some more wow, along with a good dash of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/the-kiss-had-been-shockingly-wow-which-had-led-to-one-thing-or/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“I've given up men. It's true. At first, I was just going to give up attorneys, but that seemed immature - and far too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/i-ve-given-up-men-it-s-true-at-first-i-was-just-going-to-give-up/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [Where did that flashlight come from?" Chloe asked. "My purse." Chloe looked at Tara. "She carries a flashlight in her purse." "For emergencies," Maddie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/where-did-that-flashlight-come-from-chloe-asked-my-purse-chloe-looked/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [Logan, why aren't you wearing protection?" The radio crackled, and then came Logan's voice. "I have 'protection' in my bag," he said. "But as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/logan-why-aren-t-you-wearing-protection-the-radio-crackled-and-then/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“So what do you think I should do for myself then?" "Whatever feels right." She stared at him for the longest beat, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/so-what-do-you-think-i-should-do-for-myself-then-whatever-feels-right/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“With a smug smirk, he kissed her again, then slid into her. Pleasure flooded her, so intense it arched her back and had her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/with-a-smug-smirk-he-kissed-her-again-then-slid-into-her-pleasure/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“I think you have a case of being a little girl. Maybe you should prescribe yourself a heavy dose of man-the-fuck-up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/i-think-you-have-a-case-of-being-a-little-girl-maybe-you-should/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“She was like a drug. The most addicting kind, and he had a problem—he was pretty sure that she was developing feelings for him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/she-was-like-a-drug-the-most-addicting-kind-and-he-had-a-problem-he/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [“Let me in.' 'Come to the door.' You always demanding like that? No wonder she isn't answering. Try asking sometime. Not all women will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/let-me-in-come-to-the-door-you-always-demanding-like-that-no-wonder/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [Forever this time," he said as Sawyer strode toward them. Tara sighed blissfully. "You know what this means, right?" "I'm done guessing," he said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/forever-this-time-he-said-as-sawyer-strode-toward-them-tara-sighed/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) > [Remember, you’re unique. And so is everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/remember-you-re-unique-and-so-is-everyone-else/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) [Explore all 356 Jill Shalvis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) ## More Being smart quotes > [But if you get chronically, psychosocially stressed, you're going to compromise your health. So, essentially, we've evolved to be smart enough to make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-sapolsky/but-if-you-get-chronically-psychosocially-stressed-you-re-going-to/) [Robert M. Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-sapolsky/) > [Listen! Say less rather than more. If you want to be smart, play stupid!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helena-rubinstein/listen-say-less-rather-than-more-if-you-want-to-be-smart-play-stupid/) [Helena Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helena-rubinstein/) > [I hated grunge. 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To be genius, give extravagantly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-ingram/to-be-smart-spend-carefully-to-be-wise-save-regularly-to-be-genius/) [Chip Ingram](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-ingram/) > [For the past few years, I've been more selective than I have any right to be, but I think that's finally starting to work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzy-caplan/for-the-past-few-years-i-ve-been-more-selective-than-i-have-any-right/) [Lizzy Caplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzy-caplan/) > [If you're stupid enough to whiff, you should be smart enough to forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/if-you-re-stupid-enough-to-whiff-you-should-be-smart-enough-to-forget/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [I learned just to be a belligerent asshole, which was really: "You have to get what you need to get out of it." You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-fincher/i-learned-just-to-be-a-belligerent-asshole-which-was-really-you-have/) [David Fincher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-fincher/) > [I know it sounds weird, but my definition of 'sexy' has changed as I've gotten older. And being smart and informed makes me feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-shahi/i-know-it-sounds-weird-but-my-definition-of-sexy-has-changed-as-i-ve/) [Sarah Shahi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-shahi/) > [It's always better to be wise than to be smart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/it-s-always-better-to-be-wise-than-to-be-smart/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [Each practitioner thinks there's one magic way to get a machine to be smart, and so they're all wasting their time in a sense.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-minsky/each-practitioner-thinks-there-s-one-magic-way-to-get-a-machine-to-be/) [Marvin Minsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-minsky/) > [All my serving utensils are measured. It's not obvious, because they're really beautiful, but I have the option of tracking what I'm eating. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-vincent/all-my-serving-utensils-are-measured-it-s-not-obvious-because-they-re/) [Ali Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-vincent/) > [We should all feel confident in our intelligence. By the way, intelligence to me isn't just being book-smart or having a college degree; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabatha-coffey/we-should-all-feel-confident-in-our-intelligence-by-the-way/) [Tabatha Coffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabatha-coffey/) > [Calling someone fat wont make you any skinnier, calling someone dumb dosnt make you any smarter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mean-girls/calling-someone-fat-wont-make-you-any-skinnier-calling-someone-dumb/) [Mean Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mean-girls/) > [The way to win is to work, work, work, work and hope to have a few insights And you're probably not going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/the-way-to-win-is-to-work-work-work-work-and-hope-to-have-a-few/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) > [What we are saying is we have to be smart about the ideology that is putting this idea into the world that a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asra-nomani/what-we-are-saying-is-we-have-to-be-smart-about-the-ideology-that-is/) [Asra Nomani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asra-nomani/) [Browse all 243 Being smart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-smart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Obeying the rules might be smart, but it's not as nearly as much fun.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jill Shalvis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it-s-not-as-nearly-as-much-fun/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being smart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it-s-not-as-nearly-as-much-fun/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/jill-shalvis-838_being-smart_obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it_3174509.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/jill-shalvis-838_being-smart_obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it_3174509.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/jill-shalvis-838_being-smart_obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it_3174509.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Obeying the rules might be smart, but it's not as nearly as much fun.” — Jill Shalvis", "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": "Jill Shalvis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Obeying the rules might be smart,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it-s-not-as-nearly-as-much-fun/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/obeying-the-rules-might-be-smart-but-it-s-not-as-nearly-as-much-fun/#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 } } ] } ```