Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.
—Salvador Dali (1904–89) Spanish Painter
Measure not by the scale of perfection the meager product of reality.
—Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German Poet, Dramatist
There are no perfect human beings! Persons can be found who are good, very good indeed, in fact, great. There do in fact exist creators, seers, sages, saints, shakers, and movers…even if they are uncommon and do not come by the dozen. And yet these very same people can at times be boring, irritating, petulant, selfish, angry, or depressed. To avoid disillusionment with human nature, we must first give up our illusions about it.
—Abraham Maslow (1908–70) American Psychologist, Academic, Humanist
He that will have a perfect brother must resign himself to remain brotherless.
—Italian Proverb
Friendships aren’t perfect and yet they are very precious. For me, not expecting perfection all in one place was a great release.
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin (b.1939) American Social Activist, Journalist
Only in grammar can you be more than perfect.
—William Safire (1929–2009) American Columnist, Journalist, Author, Speechwriter
Perfection is our goal, excellence will be tolerated.
—Unknown
Imperfection clings to a person, and if they wait till they are brushed off entirely, they would spin for ever on their axis, advancing nowhere.
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
If you expect perfection from people your whole life is a series of disappointments, grumblings and complaints. If, on the contrary, you pitch your expectations low, taking folks as the inefficient creatures which they are, you are frequently surprised by having them perform better than you had hoped.
—Bruce Fairchild Barton (1886–1967) American Author, Advertising Executive, Politician
Nothing you write, if you hope to be good, will ever come out as you first hoped.
—Lillian Hellman (1905–84) American Playwright, Dramatist, Memoirist
To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
—Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American Writer, Publisher, Artist, Philosopher
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
We all carry within us our places of exile, our crimes, and our ravages. But our task is not to unleash them on the world; it is to fight them in ourselves and in others.
—Albert Camus (1913–60) Algerian-born French Philosopher, Dramatist, Essayist, Novelist, Author
All of us failed to match our dreams of perfection. So I rate us on the basis of our splendid failure to do the impossible.
—William Faulkner (1897–1962) American Novelist
I don’t like a man to be too efficient. He’s likely to be not human enough.
—Felix Frankfurter (1882–1965) American Judge
Even a clock that does not work is right twice a day.
—Polish Proverb
No barber shaves so close but another finds his work.
—English Proverb
Imperfection means perfection hid.
—Robert Browning (1812–89) English 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
Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.
—Vince Lombardi, Jr. (1913–70) American Football Player, Coach
The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.
—Michelangelo (1475–1564) Italian Painter, Sculptor, Architect, Poet, Engineer
I don’t like these cold, precise, perfect people, who, in order not to speak wrong, never speak at all, and in order not to do wrong, never do anything.
—Henry Ward Beecher (1813–87) American Clergyman, Writer
The imperfections of a man, his frailties, his faults, are just as important as his virtues. You can’t separate them. They’re wedded.
—Henry Miller (1891–1980) American Novelist
The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides. Accept life, and you must accept regret.
—Henri Frederic Amiel (1821–81) Swiss Moral Philosopher, Poet, Critic
Perfection is no more a requisite to art than to heroes.
—Ned Rorem (b.1923) American Composer, Diarist
If you perform the sacrifice of doing your duty, you do not have to do anything else. Devoted to duty, man attains perfection.
—The Bhagavad Gita Hindu Scripture
Living up to ideals is like doing everyday work with your Sunday clothes on.
—E. W. Howe (1853–1937) American Novelist, Editor
The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
He is lifeless that is faultless.
—English Proverb
Fix your eyes on perfection and you make almost everything speed towards it.
—William Ellery Channing (1780–1842) American Unitarian Theologian, Poet
Every man has his follies—and often they are the most interesting thing he has got.
—Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw) (1818–85) American Humorist, Author, Lecturer
In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.
—Alice Walker (b.1944) American Novelist, Activist
To talk about the need for perfection in man is to talk about the need for another species.
—Norman Cousins (1915–90) American Journalist, Author, Academic, Activist
Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Faultily faultless, icily regular, splendidly null, dead perfection; no more.
—Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–92) British Poet
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.
—Earl of Chesterfield (1694–1773) English Statesman, Man of Letters
Perfect order is the forerunner of perfect horror.
—Carlos Fuentes (1928–2012) Mexican Novelist, Diplomat
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
Perfection is finally attained not when there is no longer anything to add but when there is no longer anything to take away, when a body has been stripped down to its nakedness.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–44) French Novelist, Aviator
The world is satisfied with words, few care to dive beneath the surface.
—Blaise Pascal (1623–62) French Mathematician, Physicist, Theologian
People call me a perfectionist, but I’m not. I’m a “rightist.” I do something until it’s right, and then I move on to the next thing.
—James Cameron (b.1954) Canadian Film Director, Environmentalist
Always live up to your standards – by lowering them, if necessary.
—Mignon McLaughlin (1913–83) American Journalist, Author
Out of perfection nothing can be made. Every process involves breaking something up.
—Joseph Campbell (1904–87) American Mythologist, Writer, Lecturer
Culture is properly described as the love of perfection; it is a study of perfection.
—Matthew Arnold (1822–88) English Poet, Critic
The essence of man is imperfection.
—Norman Cousins (1915–90) American Journalist, Author, Academic, Activist
One must not hold one’s self so divine as to be unwilling occasionally to make improvements in one’s creations.
—Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827) German Composer, Musician
Perfection does not exist. To understand this is the triumph of human intelligence; to expect to possess it is the most dangerous kind of madness.
—Alfred de Musset (1810–57) French Dramatist, Poet, Novelist
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 pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.
—George Will (b.1941) American Columnist, Journalist, Writer
I like a man with faults, especially when he knows it. To err is human – I’m uncomfortable around gods.
—Hugh Prather (b.1938) American Christian Author, Minister, Counselor