The desire to get closer to perfection is a recurring phenomenon in the human mind, since we are always told that we must aspire to excellence and strive. However, if perfectionism gets out of hand, it can be counterproductive.
To better understand this human quality linked to work and effort, here we will review the best phrases about perfectionism commented.
There are times when, instead of filling us with motivation, perfectionism has the opposite effect, since it prevents us from tolerating frustration by not being able to see failures as learning but as a weakness that makes us inferior.
In other situations, perfectionism helps us improve ourselves, and is an aspect that drives our personal development.
It is common for us to be overwhelmed by the feeling of being the best at what we decide to dedicate ourselves to; However, we must keep in mind that you will not enjoy the top if you do not love what you do, so it is important to detach ourselves from the idea of perfection as the only thing that should matter to us. To do this, we bring a compilation of phrases and reflections on perfection that will make you reflect.
1. Perfection is a polished collection of errors. (Mario Benedetti)
Mistakes allow you to do things much better.
2. Perfection is not attainable, but if we pursue it, we can achieve excellence. (Vince Lombardi)
Perfection does not exist, excellence is only achieved through effort and dedication.
3. The desire for perfection makes some people totally unbearable. (Pearl S. Buck)
Don’t look for perfection, just focus on doing things right.
4. Don’t fear perfection, you will never reach it. (Salvador Dali)
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, life is not perfect.
5. Practice does not make perfect. Practice reduces imperfection. (Beta Tuff)
Don’t focus on perfection, but on working hard.
6. A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to take advantage of them, and strong enough to correct them. (John C. Maxwell)
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes as it is part of life, just learn from them so you don’t make them again.
7. A diamond with a flaw is better than a regular stone that is perfect. (Chinese proverb)
Defects must be improved, not hidden.
8. If you can’t fly, run, if you can’t run, walk, if you can’t walk, crawl. No matter what you do, keep moving forward. (Martin Luther King Jr)
Don’t stop for anything or anyone, just keep going.
9. “Done” is better than “perfect.” (Mark Zuckerberg)
When you do something, put all your effort into making it work well, not perfect.
10. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, stepping on each step perfectly, you won’t have to die. (Anne Lamott)
In life you take risks, don’t be afraid to do so.
11. Nobody is perfect. That’s why pencils have erasers. (A stranger)
Don’t be afraid to show yourself as you are since no one is perfect.
12. Gold cannot be pure and people cannot be perfect. (Chinese proverb)
No person is completely perfect, well, perfection does not exist.
13. You are only human. Being imperfect doesn’t make you less. (Kartika Atmadja)
Just by being human we are already imperfect.
14. My imperfections and failures are as much a blessing from God as my successes and my talents. (Mahatma Gandhi)
Failures are part of the learning we must have in life.
15. Perfection is death; imperfection is art. (Manuel Vincent)
Nothing is perfect, not even art.
16. Perfection does not exist. Coming to understand it is a triumph of human intelligence; Desiring to achieve it is the most dangerous of follies. (Alfred de Musset)
When you understand that being perfect is something unattainable, you will be able to put all your effort into being better every day.
17. A perfectionist is able to forgive everyone’s faults, except their own. (Lucêmio Lopes da Anunciação)
Before forgiving others, forgive yourself.
18. Even the knowledge of my own fallibility cannot prevent me from making mistakes. Only when I fall do I get up again. (Vincent van Gogh)
If you fall, get up and keep going.
19. To banish imperfection is to destroy expression, control effort, paralyze vitality. (John Ruskin)
Don’t look for perfection as you won’t find it, just try hard and you will see something close to it.
20. Imperfections are not insufficiencies; They are reminders that we are all in this together. (brown Brené)
Mistakes show that you tried, but it doesn’t mean you should give up.
21. When weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a defect in the fabric of the blanket so that the soul can come out. (Martha Graham)
Everything you do will never be perfect.
22. Better to do something imperfect than to do nothing without any fault. (Robert Schuller)
Never stop doing something just because you want perfection.
23. Be happy being you. I love your flaws. Own your quirks. And know that you are as perfect as anyone else, exactly the way you are. (Ariana Grande)
Don’t try to be someone else no matter how perfect it may seem, you are unique.
24. Nothing that is complete breathes. (Antonio Porchia)
Nothing and no one is perfect, understand that.
25. When you aim for perfection, you realize it’s a moving target. (George Fisher)
Even if something seems perfect, it always has some flaw.
26. Nothing is perfect; nothing is imperfect. Perfection and imperfection reside in your perception. (Debasish Mridha MD)
Each person sees perfection and imperfection where there is none.
27. I am perfect in my imperfections, secure in my insecurities, happy with my choices, strong in times of weakness and beautiful in my own way. I am myself. (Anonymous)
Love yourself and accept yourself with your defects and virtues.
28. The best way to start something is to stop talking about it and start doing it, (Walt Disney)
Don’t just stop at words, put them into practice.
29. The fastest steed to reach perfection is suffering. (Johannes Eckhart)
Seeking perfection only leads to bitterness and resentment.
30. Improving is changing, being perfect is changing often. (Winston Churchill)
If you don’t like something about yourself, find a way to change it.
31. There are those who consider themselves perfect, but it is only because they demand less of themselves. (Hermann Hesse)
When you demand more from yourself than you can give, that is perfection.
32. Perfectionists demand perfection from themselves, first and foremost. (Joyce Meyer)
Perfection demands perfection.
33. No one can say that a warm and happy nest will give rise to very great people. The inadaptation to the imperfect is what improves man. (Antonio Gala)
When you expect imperfection, perfection becomes present.
34. Too late I understood that it is not possible to wait to be perfect, that you have to go out into life and fall and get up like everyone else. (Ray Bradbury)
If you are one of the people who believes in perfection, then the fall will be resounding.
35. Don’t be a perfectionist, be excellent. (Bernardo Stamateas)
Don’t look for perfection, but for excellence.
36. The main qualities that determine the perfect human being are patience, generosity, humility, courtesy, detachment, good character and sincerity. (Joseph Murphy)
If you want to be perfect, put into practice the values you have.
37. Strive for continuous improvement instead of seeking perfection. (Kim Collins)
Perfection is achieved through hard and continuous work.
38. Don’t miss any opportunity. Take advantage of all occasions. Every opportunity is aimed at your development and perfection. (Swami Sivananda)
Take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way, so that you can achieve success.
39. The pursuit of perfection often makes us improve. (George Will)
Only when we understand that by improving our interior will we become perfect.
40. Each particle in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment in time is related to the whole and participates in the perfection of the whole. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
We will always find some detail that reveals to us how perfect life is.
41. The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection. (George Orwell)
Human beings are perfect by nature, but we don’t notice it.
42. The perfection of moral virtue does not completely remove the passions, but rather regulates them. (Thomas Aquinas)
Perfection and imperfection are also combined in love.
43. The only instrument that men have both to perfect ourselves and to live with dignity is education. (Saint Thomas Aquinas)
Education is the only tool that makes us perfect.
44. Perfection is not a small thing, but it is made of small things. (Miguel Angel)
In simplicity lies perfection.
45. Perfection has to do with the final product, but excellence has to do with the process. (Jerry Moran)
Focus only on achieving excellence and not perfection.
46. Perfection is impossible; just strive to do the best you can. (Angela Watson)
When you do something, try twice as hard and you will achieve excellence.
47. The pursuit of perfection often prevents improvement. (George Will)
If you only look for perfection you won’t be able to enjoy the little things.
48. The most valuable thing you can do is a mistake, you can’t learn anything by being perfect. (Adam Osborne)
Mistakes are not failures, they are learning.
49. The flaws, the mistakes I make, that is the real me. (Nas)
Accept your mistakes and defects, they are part of you.
50. A person’s imperfections, their frailties, their faults, are as important as their virtues. You can’t separate them. (Henry Miller)
Don’t love a person only for their virtues, the defects are also part of them.
51. Imperfection inspires invention, imagination, creativity. You must stimulate it. (Jhumpa Lahiri)
When there is perfection, imagination and inventiveness disappear.
52. The perfection of customs consists of living each day as if it were the last. (Marcus Aurelius)
Don’t forget to live each day to the fullest with all the flaws it may have.
53. To banish imperfection is to destroy expression, oppose effort, paralyze vitality. (John Ruskin)
If you don’t love your imperfection, you don’t know how to value yourself.
54. If everything is imperfect in this imperfect world, love is the most perfect of all precisely because of its perfect imperfection. (Gunnar Björnstrand)
Love also has its flaws and so we fall at its feet.
55. Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is better to admit them quickly and continue improving your other innovations. (Steve Jobs)
Innovation brings errors.
56. I would like to know how many men it would take to form one that would be perfect. (Prince Charles-Joseph de Ligne)
Man is perfect when his qualities are used.
57. There is no perfection, only beautiful versions of brokenness. (Shannon L. Alder)
The balance of perfection is found in the small details.
58. Perfection is the last illusion of man. It simply doesn’t exist in the universe… If you are a perfectionist, you are guaranteed to be a loser in everything you do. (David D. Burns)
If you want to be a loser, look for perfection in everything.
59. To be perfect, you must equate compassion with freedom. (David Carradine)
If you are a compassionate person, then you are totally perfect.
60. There are only two mistakes one can make on the path to truth; not go to the end and not start. (Buddha)
Don’t stop starting and always have the courage to finish.
61. Discretion is the perfection of reason and a guide to us in all the duties of life. (Walter Scott)
When we are discreet we are somewhat perfect.
62. I think the perfection of love is that it is not perfect. (Taylor Swift)
Love comes with many flaws.
63. Move forward, and never stop, because moving forward is perfection. Move forward and do not fear the thorns along the way, as they only draw corrupted blood. (Khalil Gibran)
Don’t stop walking, if you fall, get up whenever necessary.
64. I don’t believe in perfection. I don’t think there is such a thing. But the energy of wanting things to be great is a perfectionist energy. (Reese witherspoon)
Although perfection does not exist, do not lose the desire to put all your effort into doing things well.
65. Perfection is impossible; just strive to do the best you can. (Angela Watson)
Do things right at all times.
66. The man with enough insight to admit his limitations is the one who comes closest to perfection. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)
When we accept and recognize our flaws, we are getting closer to perfection.
67. Give yourself permission to not be perfect. Nobody is, and demanding something impossible of yourself is paralyzing and unnatural. (Natalia Gómez Del Pozuelo)
Don’t demand more from yourself than you can really give.
68. You can spend your entire life looking for the perfect flower, and do you know why? Because all flowers are perfect. (Ken Watanabe)
As long as you focus on seeking perfection, you will not notice that it is found in anything.
69. I feed my defects, I don’t want to be perfect. (Alejandro Sanz)
Don’t hide your flaws, they are part of you.
70. By striving for the best we often spoil what is good. (William Shakespeare)
Don’t damage something that is good by trying to make it better.
71. In a higher world it may be otherwise, but here below, to live is to change and to be perfect is to have changed many times. (John H. Newman)
Change leads to being a little more perfect.
72. Perfection is the only gift that nature has denied to human beings, but even recognizing it we try to perfect ourselves. (Benito Juarez)
Perfection is not a gift, it is a constant search.
73. Perfection is obsessive. And that is a defect. (Roberto Fontanarrosa)
Don’t obsess over perfection, it’s not worth it.
74. Perfection is death, imperfection is art. (Manuel Vincent)
Beauty is in everything that is different, not that it is entirely neat.
75. If I had waited for perfection, I would never have written a word. (Margaret Atwood)
Dare to make mistakes so you can achieve success.
76. You were born to be real, not to be perfect. You are here to be you, not to live someone else’s life. (Ralph Marston)
Don’t try to live other people’s lives, yours is worth it.
77. Once you accept that you are not perfect, that is when you develop some confidence. (Rosalynn Carter)
Confidence is acquired once you accept your mistakes.
78. To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing. (Elbert Hubbard)
When they criticize you, stay calm.
79. I allow myself to fail. I allow myself to break. I’m not afraid of my flaws. (Lady Gaga)
Failing doesn’t make you less. On the contrary, it allows you to see where you need to improve.
80. While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, another is busy making mistakes and becoming superior. (Henry C. Link)
Don’t let anyone make you feel inferior because of your mistakes.
81. Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor. (Anne Lamott)
All tyrants want their people to kneel in unison and free and individual minds do not exist.
82. Perfection has a serious flaw: it tends to be boring. (W. Somerset Maugham)
Boredom and perfection come hand in hand.
83. Mistakes are acceptable if they are the result of moving forward. (Andrew Yang)
Walking towards success involves making mistakes.
84. There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons. (Denis Waitley)
You are responsible for choosing your path.
85. If we wait until we are ready, we will be waiting for the rest of our lives. (Lemony Snicket)
We are never ready to do something.
86. The true perfection of man is to discover his own imperfections. (Augustine of Hippo)
The moment we realize that we are not perfect, is when we begin to be.
87. How beautiful a person is when they appear imperfect and without any intention of being something they are not. (Anonymous)
Don’t be afraid to show yourself as you are.
88. In the fixed mindset, imperfections are embarrassing, especially if you are talented. (Carol S. Dweck)
Having talents does not mean we are perfect.
89. As long as you live, keep learning how to live. (Seneca)
Never stop learning to live.
90. The path to success is to double your error rate. (Thomas J. Watson)
The road to success is full of failures.
91. Use whatever talent you possess: the forests would be very silent if more birds did not sing than those that sing best. (Henry Van Dyke)
You have talents, you just have to put them into practice.
92. If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you’ve never slept with a mosquito in the room. (African proverb)
Never think that you are insignificant.
93. No one should believe themselves to be perfect, nor worry too much about the fact that they are not. (Bertrand Russell)
Never believe yourself to be perfect and don’t feel sad for not being perfect.
94. I have no faith in human perfection. Man is now more active, not happier, nor more intelligent, than he was 6000 years ago. (Edgar Allan Poe)
Human beings look for paths that lead them to perfection, however, they lose their happiness along the way.
95. Success is not about never making mistakes, but about never making the same one again. (George Bernard Shaw)
If you want to enjoy success, don’t make the same mistake.
96. Realizing that you do not understand is a virtue; Not realizing that you don’t understand is a defect. (Lao Tse)
Accept your limitations.
97. True genius shudders at incompleteness, imperfection, and generally prefers silence to saying something that is not all that should be said. (Edgar Allan Poe)
A genius is not perfect, he is wise.
98. The perfect is the enemy of the good. (Voltaire)
When people seek perfection their thinking becomes clouded.
99. Perfection is the enemy of progress. (Winston Churchill)
If you want to stay stagnant, then start looking for perfection.
100. You don’t have to be great to start but you have to start to be great. (Zig Ziglar)
You have to take the first step to start being successful.
