I agree that it's completely a personal choice. I personally love completely scrappy quilts, but I do appreciate having some kind of repetitive design in them, usually formed by using lights and darks consistently. With samplers there is no such repetition, unless you add it with framing, sashing, color placement,...
On the other hand, there's the Gypsy Wife Quilt that is a complete riot of color and shape, with the stripes in the lower part the only place where the eye can rest. And I think it's wonderful.