Judgment is partly knowing when an exception is truly exceptional.

Rules earn their keep by holding in the ordinary case, and every rule meets situations it was not written for. The skill is not in knowing that exceptions exist; almost everyone knows that. It is in telling a real exception from a convenient one, since the desire to be exempt arrives dressed exactly like a genuine special case. Most rule-breaking is not brave, only self-serving.

When you feel a rule should not apply to you, test it by generalizing: would you want anyone in this exact position to do the same. If yes, it is probably a true exception. If the answer depends on it being you, you have found preference wearing the costume of principle.