One Rule To Live By

Throughout history, the most successful people knew the secret to breaking the right rules. Benjamin Franklin was one of them, and his story proves it.

In the late 1770s, Franklin and John Adams were in Paris trying to secure support for the American Revolution. They needed to get powerful people in France on their side.

Adams woke up every day first thing ready to work. Franklin did the exact opposite. He stayed up all night drinking with the French in the salon. He would roll out of bed at noon with a raging hangover.

Adams couldn’t get over the hypocrisy.

How ironic that the guy behind the quote: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” -- wasn’t following his own advice.

Franklin knew something that Adams did not.

He knew “When in Paris, do as the Parisians do”

Franklin's goal was to get support for the American Revolution. He accomplished more for the American cause at 2 a.m. drinking wine in Parisian salons than Adams did at 8 a.m. working in the office.

He realized that success in Paris meant adapting to French customs, even if it meant contradicting his famous maxim.

You see, the thing about rules is that they always capture just one perspective.

What do I mean by that?

Take the common rule: rise early, because the early bird catches the worm.

Sure, it works well if you're the bird. But what about the worm?

In the case of the worm, the late riser has a better chance of survival.

The lesson:

Any rule works — or doesn’t — depending on whose perspective you’re viewing it from.

We often get caught up in what we believe to be the "right way”.

We follow the rules because we’ve been told that is the only way to success.

But rules limit creativity because they force us into rigid thinking — when, in reality, there’s a rule for every perspective.

This idea of perspective is illustrated well by everyday proverbs. Consider these examples.

• "Look before you leap" vs. "He who hesitates is lost": One suggests caution, while the other emphasizes the risks of overthinking.
• "Absence makes the heart grow fonder" vs. "Out of sight, out of mind": One implies that distance strengthens feelings, while the other suggests the opposite.

That means following one rule automatically means breaking another.

So, the key is to choose the rule that best fits the situation—be pragmatic.

Understanding the tradeoffs of each situation helps decide which rules to follow—and which to break. And that brings us to the only rule to live by and that is …

There are no rules—only choices about which rules to follow and when to break them.

Wisdom lies in knowing how to make that choice.

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