Do you always obey the rules or use common sense sometimes?

Well blow Betty !
I would never go against the law and order but yes I d use my loaf and it may not be in ‘follow the leader mode’

'Rules are made for the guidance of the wise and the obedience of fools' has always been my maxim! 😀

It's quite important to break rules sometimes, it's how societies change.

Having lived in France for several years, I follow their example where Health and Safety rules are concerned! Use your own brain.

It depends who makes the rules and if they are for the greater good or not.

It reminds me of a set of mugs I bought:

Love the mugs!

I like that, B9exchange, and agree with you, Galaxy & Joseann.

And Betty the Leader may have negotiated a group reduction for the entrance tickets which would have been negated if you didn't turn up.

I am afraid I don't see either of the examples as "common sense". An entry gate should always be free of opposite way traffic so that emergency vehicles are able to enter easily if needed.
And as eazybee says, that action may cost others of the group extra expense, though I would have expected "Betty" to point this out if it was the case.

Why would you book an outing to go on a museum tour then decide not to visit the museum? 🤔

Are you a youngest child?

The pandemic taught me how much of a rule follower I am. I hadn't really noticed before that

when an event is over, all the gates/doors should be in a fixed open position, for safety.
the whole venue is trying to get out at the same time, therefore ease of egress is the priority.
no one will now be paying to enter as the show is over, so all gates can be used for exit.

It’s obvious callistermon
She found something better to do

(egress in this context is not the wife of an eagle.)

I use common sense if rules are ridiculous or go against my moral code. Otherwise I follow the rules especially those set down by parents regarding their children. And if course rules of the country.

Gwyllt

It’s obvious callistermon
She found something better to do

Going for a coffee? 🤔

You can do thst anywhere, any time!

Rules are made for the guidance of the wise and the obedience of fools' has always been my maxim

Agree 100%

If there is a system then I will try my level best to game it because that has always been my nature. As some other posters have mentioned progress in society is made by innovation and by people who think outside the box.

Rules were made to be manipulated.

On another outing we had decided not to go on a museum tour and I suggested we could go for coffee and meet up with the rest of the party after their tour.
The other ladies were reluctant as Betty the leader might not approve!

This is irrelevant and nothing to do with rules
"Betty" gave her time and knowledge to book an outing for a group to a museum, presumably on a coach.
Thers were no rules, but perhaps expectations that, having booked the outing to go to the museum, that is what people wanted to do.
And perhaps someone else might have wanted to go on the trip but there wasn't a place available.

As for Entrance and Exit - as ilovecheese said, that would be for safety reasons.

Petty rules can be questioned, of course.

Rules are made for the guidance of the wise and the obedience of fools' has always been my maxim

Irrelevant in both cases though.

Betty didn't make any rules but, if everyone went off for coffee instead of to the museum as booked, she'd probably think "Why did I bother?".

There was a thread on mumsnet some time ago while illustrated how to use common sense to game the system.

A mum with a buggy and heavy shopping sees two other mums with buggies already at the bus stop. She knows from experience that there are only 2 buggy spaces on the bus. So if she joins the queue behind the two women she will have to wait for the next bus. Instead she walks the quarter mile to the stop before and gets on the bus. The other buggy mums had seen her exit the shop and called her a queue jumper because there was now no room for both of them.

I think this woman just used her common sense and "street knowledge" to make sure she got onto the bus. There is no rule that says which stop you have to use to access the bus. She had got on in her turn at the stop she selected.

This is exactly what I did when I worked busy football saturdays in Liverpool when both teams were playing at home. The scrum for a bus was horrendous. I travelled a few stops in the opposite direction and then caught an empty one before it reached the football ground.

I can't abide people who think they're too clever to follow rules. In reality they are self-centered and unable to consider how their actions might affect others.

Your examples are a bit ridiculous - perhaps you could provide some more persuasive ones?

Ok. The rule to only do one outdoor exercise per day in the pandemic were wrong, and were actually counterproductive to health. I followed that to the letter. I was foolish to do that.

Still chuckling at the OP's opening 'we live in a nanny state' - posted on a forum called gransnet.

I’d like to think I use my common sense but my German background has made it impossible for me to cross a road when the red man is flashing (well you know what I mean) even if there isn’t a vehicle for 500 yards .
I tried once in Switzerland when I was a student there and was soundly ticked off by a scary Swiss policeman.
In other areas I suppose I hope the “rules” are for the convenience and safety of all.
The daily one hour in lockdown was a total nonsense (especially as I can walk along country lanes and not see a soul )but I stuck to that , clearly erroneously thinking we were “all in it together”.
Ducking out of the museum tour for a coffee?
Ooh, you rebel ! 🤣🤣🤣