ask a dumb question with an open mind*
(Rory Sutherland)

Rules are great when they help us move through the day smoothly and without a lot of the hassle of wondering about things like who should go first or clean up after themselves, or where on the escalator we ought to stand.

And, of course, the best rules are those that externally work with our internal rules

What we can lose, though, through an overdependence on rules, is the development of our internal ones, which are often more complex, imaginative, empathetic and creative.

It’s always worthwhile questioning rules, why we do things the way that we do. Many only exist because no-one is willing to ask the dumb and simple question. We might come to an answer we never imagined.

(*From Rory Sutherland’s Alchemy.)