Washington had performed his role to perfection. It was no enough that a leader look the part; by Washington’s rules, he must know how to act it with self-command and precision.
—David McCullough (1933–2022) American Historian
If there was nothing wrong in the world there wouldn’t be anything for us to do.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.
—Chinese Proverb
If the best man’s faults were written on his forehead, he would draw his hat over his eyes.
—Thomas Gray (1716–71) English Poet, Book Collector
The more perfect a thing is, the more susceptible to good and bad treatment it is.
—Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) Italian Poet, Philosopher
The most difficult part of attaining perfection is finding something to do for an encore.
—Unknown
The essence of man is imperfection.
—Norman Cousins (1912–1990) American Political Journalist
I don’t like a man to be too efficient. He’s likely to be not human enough.
—Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American Judge
Be intent on the perfection of the present day.
—William Law (1686–1761) English Clergyman
The only nice thing about being imperfect is the joy it brings to others.
—Doug Larson (1926–2017) American Columnist
Of all the young men in America only a few hundred can get into major league baseball, and of these only a handful in a decade can get into the Hall of Fame. So it goes in all human activity … Some become multimillionaires and chairmen of the board, and some of us must be content to play baseball at company picnics or manage a credit union without pay.
—William Feather (1889–1981) American Publisher, Author
Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
Perfection is our goal, excellence will be tolerated.
—Unknown
Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.
—Voltaire (1694–1778) French Philosopher, Author
You know you’ve achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–44) French Novelist, Aviator
Ring the bells that still can ring. Forget your perfect offering. There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.
—Leonard Cohen (1934–2016) Canadian Singer, Songwriter, Poet, Novelist
It is reasonable to have perfection in our eye that we may always advance toward it, though we know it can never be reached.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
The maxim “Nothing avails but perfection” may be spelled “Paralysis”.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
The search for perfection begins with detecting imperfection
—Unknown
Measure not by the scale of perfection the meager product of reality.
—Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German Poet, Dramatist
If you’re looking for perfection, look in the mirror. If you find it there, expect it elsewhere.
—Malcolm S. Forbes (1919–1990) American Publisher, Businessperson
How would it be possible if salvation were ready to our hand, and could without great labor be found, that it should be by almost all men neglected? But all things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.
—Baruch Spinoza (1632–77) Dutch Philosopher, Theologian
The world is satisfied with words, few care to dive beneath the surface.
—Blaise Pascal (1623–62) French Mathematician, Physicist, Theologian
You see, when weaving a blanket, an Indian woman leaves a flaw in the weaving of that blanket to let the soul out.
—Martha Graham (1894–1991) American Choreographer
I have no faith in human perfectibility. I think that human exertion will have no appreciable effect upon humanity. Man is now only more active—not more happy—nor more wise, than he was 6000 years ago.
—Edgar Allan Poe (1809–49) American Poet
Advance, and never halt, for advancing is perfection. Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path, for they draw only corrupt blood.
—Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-born American Philosopher, Poet, Painter, Theologian, Sculptor
To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Head of State, Political leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
The true perfection of man lies, not in what man has, but in what man is…. Nothing should be able to harm a man but himself. Nothing should be able to rob a man at all. What a man really has is what is in him. What is outside of him should be a matter of no importance.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
From a worldly point of view, there is no mistake so great as that of being always right.
—Samuel Butler
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