--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's like jazz: You learn the rules to…" description: "\"It's like jazz: You learn the rules to break them - as long as you can break them in a meaningful way.\" — Ryan North" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/ryan-north-7388_education_it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-br_2380834.jpg" --- # It's like jazz: You learn the rules to break them - as… ![“It's like jazz: You learn the rules to break them - as long as you can break them in a meaningful way.” quote by Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/ryan-north-7388_education_it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-br_2380834.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/ryan-north-7388_education_it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-br_2380834.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/ryan-north-7388_education_it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-br_2380834.jpg) > “It's like jazz: You learn the rules to break them - as long as you can break them in a meaningful way.” [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Understanding rules lets you creatively break them, producing meaningful innovation rather than random chaos. **In simple terms:** Know rules to break them meaningfully. Key Takeaway Learn fundamentals, then innovate. Themes creativity innovation rule‑breaking Mood playful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - art projects - software development - teaching methods - problem solving Key Concepts design thinking artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - When is breaking a rule justified? - How do you ensure meaningful outcomes? A Different Perspective Risk of breaking rules without purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Jazz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jazz/) [Rules](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules/) ## Related quotes > [“Learn the rules before you break them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-taylor-goldsberry/learn-the-rules-before-you-break-them/) Steven Taylor Goldsberry > [“Learn the rules, then break them intelligently.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-bell/learn-the-rules-then-break-them-intelligently/) [Jessica Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-bell/) > [Learn the rules, break the rules, make up new rules, break the new rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-bell/learn-the-rules-break-the-rules-make-up-new-rules-break-the-new-rules/) [Marvin Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-bell/) > [Learn the rules and then break them in such a way as to exercise good taste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-shearing/learn-the-rules-and-then-break-them-in-such-a-way-as-to-exercise-good/) [George Shearing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-shearing/) > [“Learn the rules, break them & make them your own. Implement your kinda wild into your music.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-goldin/learn-the-rules-break-them-make-them-your-own-implement-your-kinda/) [Lisa Goldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-goldin/) > [Learn all the rules... then break them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lea-delaria/learn-all-the-rules-then-break-them/) [Lea DeLaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lea-delaria/) > [Even my colleagues don't read classic criticism. And my feeling is that if you don't do that then you're not really practicing your craft.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-giddins/even-my-colleagues-don-t-read-classic-criticism-and-my-feeling-is/) [Gary Giddins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-giddins/) > [Since my father is a musician as well, he taught me growing up that if you can play jazz, you can learn all instruments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-trainor/since-my-father-is-a-musician-as-well-he-taught-me-growing-up-that-if/) [Meghan Trainor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-trainor/) > [If they think they are doing something new, they ought to do what I do every day - spend at least two hours every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-hawkins/if-they-think-they-are-doing-something-new-they-ought-to-do-what-i-do/) [Coleman Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-hawkins/) > [You have to learn the rules to be able to know how to break them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keira-knightley/you-have-to-learn-the-rules-to-be-able-to-know-how-to-break-them/) [Keira Knightley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keira-knightley/) > [But sticking to rules just because they're there does not make them right. You need to learn when the rules should be broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilsa-j-bick/but-sticking-to-rules-just-because-they-re-there-does-not-make-them/) [Ilsa J. Bick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilsa-j-bick/) > [DX you make the rules and we will break them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-michaels/dx-you-make-the-rules-and-we-will-break-them/) [Shawn Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-michaels/) > [“Sometimes, you must play by the rules. If only so one can break them more effectively.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-rodale/sometimes-you-must-play-by-the-rules-if-only-so-one-can-break-them/) [Maya Rodale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-rodale/) > [There are no rules, but you break them at your peril.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-guber/there-are-no-rules-but-you-break-them-at-your-peril/) [Peter Guber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-guber/) > [“one must first know the rules to break them,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-b-agus/one-must-first-know-the-rules-to-break-them/) [David B. Agus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-b-agus/) ## More by Ryan North > [I've never written a novel before, and part of the reason I haven't is I was worried about getting 50,000 words into a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-ve-never-written-a-novel-before-and-part-of-the-reason-i-haven-t-is/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [We need to encourage our kids to express their feelings. We need to help them find their voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/we-need-to-encourage-our-kids-to-express-their-feelings-we-need-to/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [I've said this before, but I think one of the reason so many of the cartoonists I know have become friends is because the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-ve-said-this-before-but-i-think-one-of-the-reason-so-many-of-the/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [You have to recognize as a creative person that not everyone's going to be into what you're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/you-have-to-recognize-as-a-creative-person-that-not-everyone-s-going/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [I actually put Jubilee in 'Squirrel Girl.' I made it a priority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-actually-put-jubilee-in-squirrel-girl-i-made-it-a-priority/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [The funny thing with Ophelia is that I remembered her being this really cool, awesome female character when I read 'Hamlet' in high school,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/the-funny-thing-with-ophelia-is-that-i-remembered-her-being-this/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [“Algebraic to the limit!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/algebraic-to-the-limit/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [Being online works really well for any creative work, but especially comics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/being-online-works-really-well-for-any-creative-work-but-especially/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [With 'Machine of Death,' we became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon in a single day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/with-machine-of-death-we-became-the-1-bestselling-book-on-amazon-in-a/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [My first book, 'To Be or Not To Be,' took 'Hamlet' and converted it to the choose-your-own-path format. It was a great fit for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/my-first-book-to-be-or-not-to-be-took-hamlet-and-converted-it-to-the/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [I used to worry that I had a finite supply of ideas, that I should hold on to each of them in case it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-used-to-worry-that-i-had-a-finite-supply-of-ideas-that-i-should/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [Librarians are awesome; I don't care who knows it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/librarians-are-awesome-i-don-t-care-who-knows-it/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [ComicsAlliance asked if I wanted to do some holiday comics using a new layout and I said ‘HELLO, NEVER IN MY NEAR-DECADE OF MAKING…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/comicsalliance-asked-if-i-wanted-to-do-some-holiday-comics-using-a/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [I am a big proponent of the pal-centric lifestyle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/i-am-a-big-proponent-of-the-pal-centric-lifestyle/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) > [The first mp3 I downloaded, which I guess was illegal, was a symphonic rendering of the Super Mario Brothers 1-1 theme song. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/the-first-mp3-i-downloaded-which-i-guess-was-illegal-was-a-symphonic/) [Ryan North](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) [Explore all 92 Ryan North quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) Ted Martinez > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) Ioannes Amos Commenius > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) H.D. (Hilda Doolittle > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's like jazz: You learn the rules to break them - as long as you can break them in a meaningful way.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ryan North" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-break-them-as-long-as-you-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-break-them-as-long-as-you-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/ryan-north-7388_education_it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-br_2380834.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/ryan-north-7388_education_it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-br_2380834.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8df/ryan-north-7388_education_it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-br_2380834.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's like jazz: You learn the rules to break them - as long as you can break them in a meaningful way.” — Ryan North", "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": "Ryan North", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-north/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's like jazz: You learn the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-break-them-as-long-as-you-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-north/it-s-like-jazz-you-learn-the-rules-to-break-them-as-long-as-you-can/#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 } } ] } ```