--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are certain things that we can deal…" description: "\"There are certain things that we can deal with by following the rules. But at times, we find the rules restrict you from doing the right things. On suc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/mahathir-mohamad-3562_change_there-are-certain-things-that-we-can-dea_35999.png" --- # There are certain things that we can deal with by… ![“There are certain things that we can deal with by following the rules. But at times, we find the rules restrict you from doing the right things. On such occasions, we have to rethink - either you change the rules or break the rules.” quote by Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/mahathir-mohamad-3562_change_there-are-certain-things-that-we-can-dea_35999.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/mahathir-mohamad-3562_change_there-are-certain-things-that-we-can-dea_35999.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79e/mahathir-mohamad-3562_change_there-are-certain-things-that-we-can-dea_35999.png) > “There are certain things that we can deal with by following the rules. But at times, we find the rules restrict you from doing the right things. On such occasions, we have to rethink - either you change the rules or break the rules.” [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rules provide structure but can become obstacles when they prevent ethical action; one must evaluate whether to adapt or defy them. **In simple terms:** Rules may limit moral action. Key Takeaway Adapt or challenge restrictive rules. Themes ethics authority flexibility change decision-making Mood thoughtful critical determined Type advice reflection philosophical When to use this quote - bureaucratic dilemmas - corporate compliance - legal loopholes - personal conscience conflicts Key Concepts rule-governance moral agency systemic constraints Practical Applications - policy reform - ethical whistleblowing Questions to Reflect On - When should rules be changed versus broken? - Who decides which rules are unjust? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Break The Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/break-the-rules/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Doing the right thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-the-right-thing/) [Following rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following-rules/) [Following The Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following-the-rules/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Know how to win by following the rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/know-how-to-win-by-following-the-rules/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [“that being an honorable person didn’t mean always following the rules.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-e-green/that-being-an-honorable-person-didn-t-mean-always-following-the-rules/) Samuel E. Green > [Art isn't about following the rules. It's about breaking them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/art-isn-t-about-following-the-rules-it-s-about-breaking-them/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“There’s nothing wrong with following the rules, Mia,” I said at length. “I think what you might not realize is that not all consequences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-kehoe/there-s-nothing-wrong-with-following-the-rules-mia-i-said-at-length-i/) [Kristen Kehoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-kehoe/) > [“Following the rules is fine. But finding a way around them can be fun and adventurous.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-golden/following-the-rules-is-fine-but-finding-a-way-around-them-can-be-fun/) [Sandra Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-golden/) > [“Following the DREAMS. are most excellent than the following the RULES.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maulikatma/following-the-dreams-are-most-excellent-than-the-following-the-rules/) [maulikatma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maulikatma/) > [“No one ever made a difference by following the rules.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-killough-walden/no-one-ever-made-a-difference-by-following-the-rules/) [Heather Killough-Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-killough-walden/) > [There's something liberating about watching someone not following the rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikolaj-coster-waldau/there-s-something-liberating-about-watching-someone-not-following-the/) [Nikolaj Coster-Waldau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikolaj-coster-waldau/) > [“It wasn't that Lorrie Ann was becoming a Goody Two-shoes. It wasn't that she wanted to be perfect or loved or approved of. No.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rufi-thorpe/it-wasn-t-that-lorrie-ann-was-becoming-a-goody-two-shoes-it-wasn-t/) [Rufi Thorpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rufi-thorpe/) > [I don't like following the rules - the patriarchal rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indya-moore/i-don-t-like-following-the-rules-the-patriarchal-rules/) [Indya Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indya-moore/) > [Following the rules of your industry will only get you so far.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-mckeown/following-the-rules-of-your-industry-will-only-get-you-so-far/) [Max McKeown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-mckeown/) > [Rebellion is not always the right thing. Following the rules is not always the right thing. You have to think for yourself and identify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yorgos-lanthimos/rebellion-is-not-always-the-right-thing-following-the-rules-is-not/) [Yorgos Lanthimos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yorgos-lanthimos/) > [The rhyme always knows better than you, and leads you to places where you wouldn't otherwise have gotten to and that is absolutely the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/the-rhyme-always-knows-better-than-you-and-leads-you-to-places-where/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“There are rules to everything, even if nobody made them up, even if nobody calls it a game. And if you want things to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/there-are-rules-to-everything-even-if-nobody-made-them-up-even-if/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [And I'm the first one to tell people to break the rules. But you can only break the rules once you know what the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/and-i-m-the-first-one-to-tell-people-to-break-the-rules-but-you-can/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) ## More by Mahathir Mohamad > [I cannot keep quiet even when I am a lone voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/i-cannot-keep-quiet-even-when-i-am-a-lone-voice/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [The Internet is undermining moral values.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/the-internet-is-undermining-moral-values/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [In Malaysia, trials have always been fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/in-malaysia-trials-have-always-been-fair/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [A heretic can be tolerated. But a heresy cannot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/a-heretic-can-be-tolerated-but-a-heresy-cannot/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [The Malays are spiritually inclined, tolerant, and easy-going. The non-Malays, and especially the Chinese, are materialistic, aggressive, and have an appetite for work. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/the-malays-are-spiritually-inclined-tolerant-and-easy-going-the-non/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [Any organisation has a future, provided it is properly led and it sticks to the objective of that organisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/any-organisation-has-a-future-provided-it-is-properly-led-and-it/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [In the eyes of the world, Malaysia has become a pariah state, a state where anyone can be hauled up and questioned by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/in-the-eyes-of-the-world-malaysia-has-become-a-pariah-state-a-state/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [I not only think but also look and study things carefully. When I travel around, I look at things carefully, make comparisons of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/i-not-only-think-but-also-look-and-study-things-carefully-when-i/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [Suppose a part of Britain or a part of America was taken away and given to the Jews as Israel. Do you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/suppose-a-part-of-britain-or-a-part-of-america-was-taken-away-and/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [When you have a prime minister who is corrupt, then you can be sure that a country cannot be anything else but corrupt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/when-you-have-a-prime-minister-who-is-corrupt-then-you-can-be-sure/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [I am the first authoritarian government elected to become a dictator and then resigning as a dictator. So this is the first dictator in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/i-am-the-first-authoritarian-government-elected-to-become-a-dictator/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [It would seem the people who want to preserve the Penans' way of life are condemning them to a life full of diseases and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/it-would-seem-the-people-who-want-to-preserve-the-penans-way-of-life/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [Once started, religious strife has a tendency to go on and on - to become permanent feuds. Today we see such intractable inter-religious wars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/once-started-religious-strife-has-a-tendency-to-go-on-and-on-to/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [Membership of an organisation is good, as long as you can make yourself heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/membership-of-an-organisation-is-good-as-long-as-you-can-make/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [Free press is not absolute. In this country, we say clearly if you start stirring up racial hatred, then we will put a stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/free-press-is-not-absolute-in-this-country-we-say-clearly-if-you/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) [Explore all 126 Mahathir Mohamad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are certain things that we can deal with by following the rules. 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