I'd be willing to be a lot of HN readers have broken the rules governing code quality because they felt it was justified by the outcome, ignoring the reasons those rules were put into place
They are different wherever you happen to work. Most teams have development standards in place, and in places where software is certified (aerospace, automotive, medical devices, etc.) those standards are formalized.
But you what I mean. Skipping reviews, bending rules around complexity, data concurrency, style, and so on.
Which rules are they again?