Wikipedia:Ignore all rules

[[:|WP:IAR]]

This page is very important to Wikipedia. The nature of the page, however, makes pinning it down as "official" or a "guideline" unhelpful. It has a long tradition, so please think hard about the reasons this page exists before editing or invoking it.

The historical version of this essay, still favored by some users, read as follows:
If the rules make you nervous and depressed,
and not desirous of participating in the Wiki,
then ignore them and go about your business.

Current Version

Wikipedia has a lot of rules. Instead of following every rule, it is acceptable to use common sense as you go about editing. Being too wrapped up in rules can cause you to lose perspective, so there are times when it is best to ignore all rules.

Even if a contribution violates the precise wording of a rule, it might still be a good one. Similarly, just because something disruptive is not forbidden in a written rule doesn't mean it's a good idea (i.e., Don't disrupt Wikipedia to illustrate a point). The spirit of the rules is more important than the letter.

Invoking the principle of "Ignore all rules" on its own will not convince anyone that you were right, so you will need to persuade the rest of the community that your actions improved the encyclopedia. A skilled application of this policy should ideally fly under the radar, and not be noticed at all.