--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rules are what the artist breaks; the…" description: "\"Rules are what the artist breaks; the memorable never emerged from a formula.\" — William Bernbach" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/528/william-bernbach-11456_advertising-business_rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-mem_1580179.png" --- # Rules are what the artist breaks; the memorable never… ![“Rules are what the artist breaks; the memorable never emerged from a formula.” quote by William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/528/william-bernbach-11456_advertising-business_rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-mem_1580179.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/528/william-bernbach-11456_advertising-business_rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-mem_1580179.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/528/william-bernbach-11456_advertising-business_rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-mem_1580179.png) > “Rules are what the artist breaks; the memorable never emerged from a formula.” [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Creative breakthroughs happen when rules are challenged, not when they’re strictly followed. **In simple terms:** Breaking rules sparks originality. Key Takeaway Challenge conventions to create. Themes creativity innovation rebellion Mood inspirational defiant Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - marketing campaigns - art projects - product design - personal branding Key Concepts advertising artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - What rule could you break today? - How does breaking norms affect your work? A Different Perspective Rigid formulas can stifle uniqueness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising-business/) [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Design](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/design/) [Great advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-advertising/) [Memorable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memorable/) ## Related quotes > [Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/stopping-advertising-to-save-money-is-like-stopping-your-watch-to/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Advertising in the final analysis should be news. If it is not news it is worthless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolph-ochs/advertising-in-the-final-analysis-should-be-news-if-it-is-not-news-it/) Adolph Ochs > [There are a lot of great technicians in advertising. And unfortunately they talk the best game. They know all the rules. They can tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/there-are-a-lot-of-great-technicians-in-advertising-and-unfortunately/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Persuasion is not a science but an art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/persuasion-is-not-a-science-but-an-art/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarise that society. We can brutalise it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/all-of-us-who-professionally-use-the-mass-media-are-the-shapers-of/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Creativity is the most practical thing a businessman can employ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/creativity-is-the-most-practical-thing-a-businessman-can-employ/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [A principle isn't a principle until it costs you something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/a-principle-isn-t-a-principle-until-it-costs-you-something/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Rarely have I seen any really great advertising created without a certain amount of confusion, throw-aways, bent noses, irritation and downright cursedness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-burnett/rarely-have-i-seen-any-really-great-advertising-created-without-a/) [Leo Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-burnett/) > [Advertising and content have always been bound together - in print, on television, and on the web. Sure, you can skip the ad -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/advertising-and-content-have-always-been-bound-together-in-print-on/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [“Success is not a mix of great product plus great advertising plus great price point plus great distribution. It’s something else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-hanlon/success-is-not-a-mix-of-great-product-plus-great-advertising-plus/) [Patrick Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-hanlon/) > [On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/on-the-average-five-times-as-many-people-read-the-headlines-as-read/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [No movie becomes a hit without good reviews and word-of-mouth. No agency ever became a great brand by merely saying it was great -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rochelle-b-lazarus/no-movie-becomes-a-hit-without-good-reviews-and-word-of-mouth-no/) [Rochelle B Lazarus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rochelle-b-lazarus/) > [Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-s-hershey/give-them-quality-that-s-the-best-kind-of-advertising/) [Milton S. Hershey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-s-hershey/) > [You must make the product interesting, not just make the ad different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosser-reeves/you-must-make-the-product-interesting-not-just-make-the-ad-different/) [Rosser Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosser-reeves/) > [If you ever have the good fortune to create a great advertising campaign, you will soon see another agency steal it. This is irritating,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/if-you-ever-have-the-good-fortune-to-create-a-great-advertising/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) ## More by William Bernbach > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Forget words like 'hard sell' and 'soft sell.' That will only confuse you. Just be sure your advertising is saying something with substance, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/forget-words-like-hard-sell-and-soft-sell-that-will-only-confuse-you/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarise that society. We can brutalise it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/all-of-us-who-professionally-use-the-mass-media-are-the-shapers-of/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Just because your ad looks good is no insurance that it will get looked at. How many people do you know who are impeccably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/just-because-your-ad-looks-good-is-no-insurance-that-it-will-get/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Our job is to sell our clients' merchandise... not ourselves. Our job is to kill the cleverness that makes us shine instead of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/our-job-is-to-sell-our-clients-merchandise-not-ourselves-our-job-is/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [The difference between the forgettable and the enduring is artistry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/the-difference-between-the-forgettable-and-the-enduring-is-artistry/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [In communications, familiarity breeds apathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/in-communications-familiarity-breeds-apathy/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Logic and over-analysis can immobilise and sterilize an idea. It's like love. The more you analyse it, the more it disappears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/logic-and-over-analysis-can-immobilise-and-sterilize-an-idea-it-s/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Today's smartest advertising style is tomorrow's corn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/today-s-smartest-advertising-style-is-tomorrow-s-corn/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [In advertising, not to be different is virtually suicidal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/in-advertising-not-to-be-different-is-virtually-suicidal/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [No matter how skillful you are, you can't invent a product advantage that doesn't exist. And if you do, and it's just a gimmick,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/no-matter-how-skillful-you-are-you-can-t-invent-a-product-advantage/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [There is no such thing as a good or bad ad in isolation. What is good at one moment is bad at another. Research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-good-or-bad-ad-in-isolation-what-is-good/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Our job is to bring the dead facts to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/our-job-is-to-bring-the-dead-facts-to-life/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Advertising is the art of persuasion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/advertising-is-the-art-of-persuasion/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [We are so busy measuring public opinion that we forget we can mold it. We are so busy listening to statistics we forget we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/we-are-so-busy-measuring-public-opinion-that-we-forget-we-can-mold-it/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) [Explore all 60 William Bernbach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) ## More Advertising business quotes > [All of us who professionally use the mass media are the shapers of society. We can vulgarise that society. We can brutalise it. Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/all-of-us-who-professionally-use-the-mass-media-are-the-shapers-of/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [I'd never assume an audience was anything but totally receptive and perfect. Seriously, it seems to me that's the only circumstance you can work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/i-d-never-assume-an-audience-was-anything-but-totally-receptive-and/) [Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/) > [A frustration I have is that a lot of people increasingly seem to equate an advertising business model with somehow being out of alignment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/a-frustration-i-have-is-that-a-lot-of-people-increasingly-seem-to/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Advertising is the principal reason why the business person has come to inherit the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-adams/advertising-is-the-principal-reason-why-the-business-person-has-come/) [James Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-adams/) > [That's the power of great insights. Insights, not ideas. There's a difference. Ideas, valuable though they may be, are a dime a dozen in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/that-s-the-power-of-great-insights-insights-not-ideas-there-s-a/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [Emotion. Passion. Ideas. Simplicity. These are the big things that big business needs from its creative agencies. No one else is going to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-roberts/emotion-passion-ideas-simplicity-these-are-the-big-things-that-big/) [Kevin Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-roberts/) > [There is nothing in the way of amelioration of the conditions of life, of politics, of social and ethical matters, that may not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-arthur-french/there-is-nothing-in-the-way-of-amelioration-of-the-conditions-of-life/) George Arthur French > [If I were starting life over again, I am inclined to think that I would go into the advertising business in preference to almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/if-i-were-starting-life-over-again-i-am-inclined-to-think-that-i/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [Creativity is the most practical thing a businessman can employ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/creativity-is-the-most-practical-thing-a-businessman-can-employ/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [What needs to change is the nature of advertising itself. That business hasn't really evolved since the days of Don Draper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lyons/what-needs-to-change-is-the-nature-of-advertising-itself-that/) [Daniel Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-lyons/) > [In the advertising business, a good idea can inspire a great commercial. But a good insight can fuel a thousand ideas, a thousand commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dusenberry/in-the-advertising-business-a-good-idea-can-inspire-a-great/) [Phil Dusenberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dusenberry/) > [It's very possible that advertising business models will simply never do as well on mobile devices as those oriented around transactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-collison/it-s-very-possible-that-advertising-business-models-will-simply-never/) [Patrick Collison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-collison/) > [Advertising is a business within a business and the man who neglects it will soon find himself with a business without a business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-farrington/advertising-is-a-business-within-a-business-and-the-man-who-neglects/) Frank Farrington > [Sex is the most fun you can have without smiling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/sex-is-the-most-fun-you-can-have-without-smiling/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [Jazz is the most fun you can have with your clothes on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-pomeroy/jazz-is-the-most-fun-you-can-have-with-your-clothes-on/) Herb Pomeroy [Browse all 33 Advertising business quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising-business/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Rules are what the artist breaks; the memorable never emerged from a formula.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Bernbach" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-memorable-never-emerged-from-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advertising business" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-memorable-never-emerged-from-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/528/william-bernbach-11456_advertising-business_rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-mem_1580179.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/528/william-bernbach-11456_advertising-business_rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-mem_1580179.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/528/william-bernbach-11456_advertising-business_rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-mem_1580179.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Rules are what the artist breaks; the memorable never emerged from a formula.” — William Bernbach", "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": "William Bernbach", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Rules are what the artist breaks;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-memorable-never-emerged-from-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/rules-are-what-the-artist-breaks-the-memorable-never-emerged-from-a/#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 } } ] } ```