248 Quotes About Perfectionism

It was understood that I would always be kind and gracious and show up with a smile.

Where would the end be? Will the idea—the definition—of perfection stay the same? No. Perfection is too fickle. It’s in our nature to never be satisfied. We always think we can do more.

How wretched is the man who sees the perfect opportunity and still waits for a better one.

What did you get, Mr Edwards?' 'Three As.' 'And what were you expecting?' Mr Edwards looks right into the camera and, completely deadpan, says, 'Three As.' For Edwards, the perfectionist, this still wasn't good enough. He wanted no, needed - to be the best and a simple grade wasn't enough to confirm this, even to himself.

When I got my A-Levels, I got straight As, but I thought they weren't as good as other people's straight As,' said Edwards. 'They would look at me as if their As were better. We didn't get percentage marks, so three As weren't enough. I wanted to know I'd got, like, ninety-flve per cent. Three As is meaningless unless you're arrogant enough to think you're as good as them. Which I'm not. I need to see it written down to know.

Perfection is a delusion. Perfection requires someone else to be inferior in order to win. Shake off imposturous ideas like a deer that shakes off fear after a life threatening chase.

On Tolkien: "His fussiness threatened to overwhelm his creativity.

An artist obsessed with perfection is bound to dim the light of his art.

There are few people whom I really love, and still fewer of whom I think well.The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and everyday confirms my belief of the inconsistency of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of either merit or sense.