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Perfection belongs to the Gods; the most _x000D_ we can hope for is excellence.
Carl Jung
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Perfection is unattainable for humans, while striving for excellence is a realistic goal.

This quote by Carl Jung highlights the idea that perfection is an ideal that is beyond human reach, something that belongs to the divine or the Gods. Instead of aiming for perfection, which can lead to frustration and disappointment, one should focus on achieving excellence in their endeavors, which is attainable and represents a more constructive approach to personal growth and fulfillment.

Themes

PerfectionExcellenceGoalsStrivingHumanAttainable

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech about personal development during a workshop.

More from Carl Jung

Grounded in the natural philosophy of the Middle Ages, alchemy formed a bridge: on the one hand into the past, to Gnosticism, and on the other into the future, to the modern psychology of the unconscious.
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The majority of my patients consisted not of believers but of those who had lost their faith.
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Complexes are psychic contents which are outside the control of the conscious mind. They have been split off from consciousness and lead a separate existence in the unconscious, being at all times ready to hinder or to reinforce the conscious intentions.
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We are in a far better position to observe instincts in animals or in primitives than in ourselves. This is due to the fact that we have grown accustomed to scrutinizing our own actions and to seeking rational explanations for them.
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From the viewpoint of analytic psychology, the theatre, aside from any aesthetic value, may be considered as an institution for the treatment of the mass complex.
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I have treated many hundreds of patients. Among those in the second half of life - that is to say, over 35 - there has not been one whose problem in the last resort was not that of finding a religious outlook on life.
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