17 People Share Important "Unwritten Rules" In Life
You should probably take notes...
Some of the most useful rules in life are never written down, yet people still follow them without thinking twice. That is exactly what makes unwritten rules so interesting, they are the little bits of common sense that shape everyday behavior.
In this Reddit thread, one user asked people to share the unwritten rules they think everyone should know.
Some of these are obvious, some are oddly personal, and a few might make you rethink your own habits. Here are the ones people felt strongly enough to put into writing.
FXX / Via media.giphy.com
1. It will be too late...
"Buy a plunger before you need a plunger."
2. Pull it to the side
"Don’t leave your shopping cart in the middle of the grocery aisle!"
NBC / Via media.giphy.comThat one is painfully practical.
3. Do not swipe. Ever
"Do not swipe left or right if someone shows you a photo on their phone."
4. Laughter is no laughing matter
"Never make fun of someone else's laugh, be it how they sound or how they look. Laughing is the most natural expression of joy and happiness, and for someone to feel self-conscious about that because of other people's comments is incredibly harsh."
5. Rescheduling
"If you have to cancel on a friend, it should be your responsibility to reschedule."
6. So tacky
"Don't propose at someone else's wedding."
Paramount Pictures / Via media.giphy.com
People really do have strong feelings about basic courtesy.
7. The last one
"Don't ask for something if the person only has one left (gum, cigarette, piece of cake, etc.)."
8. Be kind
"Be kind to people who are working: food staff, medical staff, etc. Don’t take your bad day out on someone else."
Wedding tradition drama hits hard in the cousin conflict over sharing a family secret meatball recipe.
9. Rude and punishable by law
"Don't look through the gap of bathroom stalls."
Fox / Via media.giphy.com
Some of these are less like rules and more like survival skills.
10. Whispering
"If someone whispers, you whisper back."
11. Fish is a no-no in the office
"Don't cook fish in the office kitchen."
12. Exit first
"For buses, trains, or any other public transportation, let people exit first before you get on."
Fox / Via media.giphy.com
Office etiquette can be brutally specific.
13. If it can't be fixed immediately, shut up about it
"Don't comment on someone's appearance if it can't be fixed in less than 30 seconds. Spinach in someone's teeth? Let a friend know. Body type? Bad haircut? Worn-out clothes? There's no need to mention it."
14. Always
"Leave it in a better condition than you found it."
15. You will understand when you grow older...
"Pee first. No matter what it is, pee first."
16. Shouldn't go together
"Don’t mess up an apology with an excuse."
Pop TV / Via media.giphy.com
That advice is simple, but nobody forgets it.
17. Fill up the tank... even with these prices...
"If you borrow someone's car, fill up the tank before you return it."
This is our society. We’ve created it.
Now, it might not be the best (it’s not even close to good), but it is ours, and we chose to live in it. And that involves following some rules.
Some of them are written, but others are grains of wisdom passed down from one generation to the next. We hope you’ve read these simple rules we’ve listed above and that you will remember them.
Some rules only work because everyone agrees to follow them.
Want the dinner-bill fallout too? See the AITA about insisting on separate bills that turned friends cold.
