39 Quotes About Perfectionism

Having perfection can seem like a feat that you can never overcome. These quotes about perfectionism can offer some guidance and encouragement to bring you where you eventually want to reach.

“A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault.”

“Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.”

“Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly.”

“Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing perfectly.”

“But I always feel that whatever I do, I could do better. I suppose it is perfectionism.”

“Clutter and mess show us that life is being lived…Tidiness makes me think of held breath, of suspended animation… Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist’s true friend.”

“Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person.”

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.”

“If your fidelity to perfectionism is too high, you never do anything.”

“In order to go on living one must try to escape the death involved in perfectionism.”

“Insecurity’s best cover is perfectionism. That’s where it becomes an art form.”

“It is reasonable to have perfection in our eye that we may always advance toward it, though we know it can never be reached.”

“Let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.”

“Many people think of perfectionism as striving to be your best, but it is not about self-improvement; it’s about earning approval and acceptance.”

“Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”

“Perfection has one grave defect: it is apt to be dull.”

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

“Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough – that we should try again.”

“Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self- solitude is the enemy of well- being.”

“Perfectionism is the fear of being criticized.”

“Perfectionism is the mother of procrastination.”

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft.”

“Replace perfectionism with persistence. After all, in recovery and life, it’s persistence that really pays off. Forget about perfection.”

“Ring the bells that still can ring.”

“Strive for excellence, not perfection, because we don’t live in a perfect world.”

“Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing.”

“The fastest way to break the cycle of perfectionism and become a fearless mother is to give up the idea of doing it perfectly – indeed to embrace uncertainty and imperfection.”

“The only nice thing about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others.”

“The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.”

“The pursuit of perfection, then, is the pursuit of sweetness and light.”

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.”

“The way to succeed is to double your error rate.”

“They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you practice makes perfect. I wish they’d make up their minds.”

“This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.”

“Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle.”

“Try as hard as we may for perfection, the net result of our labors is an amazing variety of imperfectness. We are surprised at our own versatility in being able to fail in so many different ways.”

“Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.”

“What people somehow forgot to mention when we were children was that we need to make messes in order to find out who we are and why we are here.”

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.”

Perfection can be the wrong direction to take for many. Something that is unreachable can end up discouraging your ability to succeed at anything.