--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rules are, like an ashtray-in-progress…" description: "\"Rules are, like an ashtray-in-progress, meant to be thrown, poked and reshaped to suit yourself.\" — Sara Genn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/sara-genn-11906_ashtrays_rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-me_2995663.png" --- # Rules are, like an ashtray-in-progress, meant to be… ![“Rules are, like an ashtray-in-progress, meant to be thrown, poked and reshaped to suit yourself.” quote by Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/sara-genn-11906_ashtrays_rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-me_2995663.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/sara-genn-11906_ashtrays_rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-me_2995663.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/sara-genn-11906_ashtrays_rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-me_2995663.png) > “Rules are, like an ashtray-in-progress, meant to be thrown, poked and reshaped to suit yourself.” [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rules are provisional tools that should be adapted, challenged, and reshaped to fit personal needs. **In simple terms:** Rules are flexible, not rigid. Key Takeaway Adapt rules to serve you. Themes creativity flexibility individualism Mood thoughtful motivational Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - personal goal setting - team dynamics - creative brainstorming Key Concepts adaptation personalization challenge Questions to Reflect On - What rules have you outgrown? - How can you redesign a rule to better suit you? A Different Perspective Rigid rules can stifle innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ashtray Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashtray-progress-4730248/) [Ashtrays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashtrays/) [Like Ashtray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-ashtray-4551222/) [Meant to be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-to-be/) [Poked Reshaped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poked-reshaped-4730249/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Reshaped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reshaped-590041/) [Rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule/) [Rules Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rules-like-334242/) [Suits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suits/) [Thrown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thrown/) ## Related quotes > [“It doesn't bother me ," I said. "If you don't mind looking forty years old at twenty, smelling like an ashtray, and getting lung…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-hodkin/it-doesn-t-bother-me-i-said-if-you-don-t-mind-looking-forty-years-old/) [Michelle Hodkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-hodkin/) > [“This book is written from a changing town in Virginia, but this class of mine, these people--the ones who smell like an ashtray in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-bageant/this-book-is-written-from-a-changing-town-in-virginia-but-this-class/) [Joe Bageant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-bageant/) > [“ My Spirit reshaped amongst the millions”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cooke/my-spirit-reshaped-amongst-the-millions/) [Alan Cooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cooke/) > [“Having reshaped my words with an intensity of feeling I had not known before, I could not understand why others were not overcome with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/having-reshaped-my-words-with-an-intensity-of-feeling-i-had-not-known/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“They were here from the beginning. They have reshaped our lives, run us from our homes. They were always here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nad-ge-richards/they-were-here-from-the-beginning-they-have-reshaped-our-lives-run-us/) [Nadège Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nad-ge-richards/) > [Change might not be fast and it isn't always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-duhigg/change-might-not-be-fast-and-it-isn-t-always-easy-but-with-time-and/) [Charles Duhigg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-duhigg/) > [“Time had twisted the stream’s contour, reshaped the profile of the trees and obscured the old paths. The very lie of the land appeared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-caldecott/time-had-twisted-the-stream-s-contour-reshaped-the-profile-of-the/) [Andrew Caldecott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-caldecott/) > [“Life is like butter - when things cool down it can be reshaped”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sheinwald/life-is-like-butter-when-things-cool-down-it-can-be-reshaped/) [Alan Sheinwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sheinwald/) > [Thriller' reshaped sound. It reshaped everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-manuel-de-homem-christo/thriller-reshaped-sound-it-reshaped-everything/) [Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-manuel-de-homem-christo/) > [I give my children a lot of freedom, which I suppose a lot of parents don't do. I do have rules but nothing like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reham-khan/i-give-my-children-a-lot-of-freedom-which-i-suppose-a-lot-of-parents/) [Reham Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reham-khan/) > [“I will not live by rules like those.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/i-will-not-live-by-rules-like-those/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [I don't have storyboards, but I have some very strict rules, like not moving the camera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucile-hadzihalilovic/i-don-t-have-storyboards-but-i-have-some-very-strict-rules-like-not/) [Lucile Hadzihalilovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucile-hadzihalilovic/) > [I am not much about rules, I like to break 'em and don't like to make 'em.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kressley/i-am-not-much-about-rules-i-like-to-break-em-and-don-t-like-to-make-em/) [Carson Kressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kressley/) > [“The greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves,” He said.8”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-colson/the-greatest-among-you-should-be-like-the-youngest-and-the-one-who/) [Charles W. Colson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-colson/) > [“It's the environment that rules, whether you like it or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-toops/it-s-the-environment-that-rules-whether-you-like-it-or-not/) [Emma Toops](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-toops/) ## More by Sara Genn > [Half of the pleasure of painting and feeling the joy of the creative act is sharing it with others and the feeling of connection.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/half-of-the-pleasure-of-painting-and-feeling-the-joy-of-the-creative/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Pay no attention to the less courageous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/pay-no-attention-to-the-less-courageous/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [I can hide as much as I want in my colours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/i-can-hide-as-much-as-i-want-in-my-colours/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Art is a perfectly complete cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/art-is-a-perfectly-complete-cause/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Play is your route to mastery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/play-is-your-route-to-mastery/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Going beyond one's backyard grants one perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/going-beyond-one-s-backyard-grants-one-perspective/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Why all these years have I been agreeably turning down the stereo every time the phone rings?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/why-all-these-years-have-i-been-agreeably-turning-down-the-stereo/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Painters tend to ignore the challenges and thrills that sculptors enjoy daily - volume... like the perfect, imperfect voluminous oval of the egg.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/painters-tend-to-ignore-the-challenges-and-thrills-that-sculptors/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Having a favourite colour is like having a favourite lung.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/having-a-favourite-colour-is-like-having-a-favourite-lung/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Artists live in an imperfect world where affairs of the heart must sometimes be compromised with business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/artists-live-in-an-imperfect-world-where-affairs-of-the-heart-must/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Learn from the greats, and expose yourself to better work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/learn-from-the-greats-and-expose-yourself-to-better-work/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [If an artist comes intuitively from the point of design, notan - lightness/darkness - is natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/if-an-artist-comes-intuitively-from-the-point-of-design-notan/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Joy is my energy and energy is my powerhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/joy-is-my-energy-and-energy-is-my-powerhouse/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Refreshing failures roll off the travel easel like ants from a picnic blanket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/refreshing-failures-roll-off-the-travel-easel-like-ants-from-a-picnic/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) > [Read in order to write, but paint in order to paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/read-in-order-to-write-but-paint-in-order-to-paint/) [Sara Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) [Explore all 57 Sara Genn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/) ## More Ashtrays quotes > [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [“all people start to come apart finally and there it is: just empty ashtrays in a room or wisps of hair on a comb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/all-people-start-to-come-apart-finally-and-there-it-is-just-empty/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Kissing a smoker is like licking an ashtray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-rowland/kissing-a-smoker-is-like-licking-an-ashtray/) [Helen Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-rowland/) > [The sky was so clear that the starlight cast shadows, and so many sparkles and glitters and glints appeared above us that it looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-sky-was-so-clear-that-the-starlight-cast-shadows-and-so-many/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [ Writing a play is like smashing that \[glass\] ashtray, filming it in slow motion, and then running the film in reverse, so that the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/writing-a-play-is-like-smashing-that-glass-ashtray-filming-it-in-slow/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [British scientists have demonstrated that cigarettes can harm your children. Fair enough. Use an ashtray!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carr/british-scientists-have-demonstrated-that-cigarettes-can-harm-your/) [Jimmy Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carr/) > [Every time an ashtray is missing from a hotel, they don't come looking for you. But let a diamond bracelet disappear in France and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-michael-hayes/every-time-an-ashtray-is-missing-from-a-hotel-they-don-t-come-looking/) [John Michael Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-michael-hayes/) > [We were so poor; the ultimate luxury in our house at the time was ashtrays without advertisements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chic-murray/we-were-so-poor-the-ultimate-luxury-in-our-house-at-the-time-was/) [Chic Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chic-murray/) > [Grab something off the shelf that's on the spaceship-an ashtray, it doesn't matter what. Because I can tell you, if they flew here from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/grab-something-off-the-shelf-that-s-on-the-spaceship-an-ashtray-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I've used soap dishes as ashtrays in the best hotels in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-waitt/i-ve-used-soap-dishes-as-ashtrays-in-the-best-hotels-in-the-world/) [Ted Waitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-waitt/) > [Let's try and create scenes that are about something... About something deeper than this ashtray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-de-maat/let-s-try-and-create-scenes-that-are-about-something-about-something/) [Martin de Maat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-de-maat/) > [Junior colleges are high schools with ashtrays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-carolla/junior-colleges-are-high-schools-with-ashtrays/) [Adam Carolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-carolla/) > [Hands, matches, an ashtray. A ritual beautiful and bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-akhmatova/hands-matches-an-ashtray-a-ritual-beautiful-and-bitter/) [Anna Akhmatova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-akhmatova/) > [I smoke too much whether it's going well or badly. After all these years, I definitely associate having a pen in my hand with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-smoke-too-much-whether-it-s-going-well-or-badly-after-all-these/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [There were moments ... when it seemed that all one could be asked was just to keep the ashtrays clean, the bed made, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-were-moments-when-it-seemed-that-all-one-could-be-asked-was/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) [Browse all 30 Ashtrays quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ashtrays/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rules are, like an ashtray-in-progress, meant to be thrown, poked and reshaped to suit yourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sara Genn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-meant-to-be-thrown-poked-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ashtrays" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-meant-to-be-thrown-poked-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/sara-genn-11906_ashtrays_rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-me_2995663.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/sara-genn-11906_ashtrays_rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-me_2995663.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a74/sara-genn-11906_ashtrays_rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-me_2995663.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rules are, like an ashtray-in-progress, meant to be thrown, poked and reshaped to suit yourself.” — Sara Genn", "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": "Sara Genn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-genn/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Rules are, like an ashtray-in-progress, meant...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-meant-to-be-thrown-poked-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-genn/rules-are-like-an-ashtray-in-progress-meant-to-be-thrown-poked-and/#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 } } ] } ```