Quotes on Perfectionism

I picture the vast realm of the sciences as an immense landscape scattered with patches of dark and light. The goal towards which we must work is either to extend the boundaries of the patches of light, or to increase their number. One of these tasks falls to the creative genius; the other requires a sort of sagacity combined with perfectionism.

Whatever happens, there are always things you could have done better. You score two goals and you usually feel you could have done better. You score two goals and you usually feel you could have scored a third. That's perfectionism. That's what makes you progress in life.

Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self- solitude is the enemy of well- being.

Healthy striving is self-focused: "How can I improve?" Perfectionism is other-focused: "What will they think?"

Perfectionism means that you try not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived.

The true perfection of man lies not in what man has, but in what man is.

Striving to better, oft we mar what’s well.

Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground - you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip. Tidiness suggests that something is as good as it's going to get. Tidiness makes me think of held breath, of suspended animation, while writing needs to breathe and move.

This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.

In order to go on living one must try to escape the death involved in perfectionism.