To me the rules are just guidelines that generally make things work better or make a process easier. I don't even call them "rules" when teaching. Instead, I say there are "suggestions" that we may (or may not) want to follow. Doing so makes us better at our craft, and who doesn't want to be better? So we read and take classes to learn new techniques and to improve for our own satisfaction. As with most things, we have to make decisions based on what works for us at the moment and based on common sense.
The quilt police are like the fashion police, they exist in a strange kind of way, but after a while who really cares? I still wear my jeans, tee shirts and athletic shoes because to me comfort is more important than fashion. Do people find me dowdy and unfashionable? Absolutely, but it doesn't matter one bit if I'm comfortable.