Although we have many reasons to strive for perfection, it can also be an extremely destructive trait – holding you back from pursuing your dreams, making you deeply unhappy, and leaving you feeling inadequate.
If you strive for perfection in everything you do, from your personal to professional life, you’re setting yourself up for failure. The following perfectionism quotes will help you feel empowered and inspire you to take action toward your dreams.
45 Quotes About Perfectionism
1. “When things are perfect, that’s when you need to worry most.” Drew Barrymore
2. “Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life. Research shows that perfectionism hampers success. In fact, it’s often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis.” Brené Brown
3. “I abhor the idea of a perfect world. It would bore me to tears.” Shelby Foote
4. “Many people think of perfectionism as striving to be your best, but it is not about self-improvement; it’s about earning approval and acceptance.” Brene Brown
5. “Worst thing about being a perfectionist: Everything you do might look amazing in someone else’s eyes but, in your heart, never truly satisfied.” Emmie Lee Dean
6. “Perfectionism is the art of never being satisfied.” Unknown
7. “But I am learning that perfection isn’t what matters. In fact, it’s the very thing that can destroy you if you let it.” Emily Giffin
8. “Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order.” Anne Wilson Schaef
9. “Too many people spend too much time trying to perfect something before they actually do it. Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you go, and fix it along the way…” Paul Arden
10. “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done.” Ecclesiastes 11:4
11. “Perfectionism is a delusion that can rob one of a very successful, enriching life if not careful.” April Bryan
12. “Perfectionism sucks the air out of your uniqueness and leaves you empty, away from who you could become.” Darryl Stewart Wellness
13. “Healthy striving is self-focused: “How can I improve?” Perfectionism is other-focused: “What will they think?” Brené Brown
14. “Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can do. Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself.” William Faulkner
15. “There is no innovation and creativity without failure. Period.” Brene Brown
16. “Perfectionism is a dream killer because it’s just fear disguised as trying to do your best.” Mastin Kipp
17. “I’ve learned how my own perfectionism can cripple me.” Jennifer Nettles
18. “Perfectionism is a self destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame.” Brené Brown
19. “Perfectionism and procrastination have such a fine line. You say, ‘Well, I want it to be good. I want it to be perfect.’ But what you’re really doing is not doing your work. You’re putting off showing up and being visible because then you’re going to be judged, and it might suck.” Jen Sincero
20. “I will be patient with myself as I develop into the person I am meant to be. Being perfect is not the goal. Continuing to grow in a positive direction is the goal.” Unknown
21. “The most valuable thing you can make is a mistake. You can’t learn anything from being perfect.” Adam Osbourne
22. “Don’t worry about not doing “it” perfectly right now. It’s ok, just keep at it, you will soon settle in it, and then you’ll be glad you didn’t give up.” Temitope Ibrahim
23. “The grandest seduction of all is the myth that DOING EVERYTHING BETTER gets us where we want to be. It gets us somewhere, certainly, but not anywhere worth being.” Shauna Niequist
24. “Let go of who you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are.” Brene Brown
25. “Progress, not perfection, is what we should be asking of ourselves” Julia Cameron
26. “Learning to give up on perfection may be just about the most romantic move any of us could make.” Alain de Botton
27. “People often miss out on their own human genius because they’re trying to be more perfect than the gods.” Curtis Tyrone Jones
28. “At its root, perfectionism isn’t really about a deep love of being meticulous. It’s about fear. Fear of making a mistake. Fear of disappointing others. Fear of failure. Fear of success.” Michael Law
29. “Perfectionism doesn’t make you feel perfect; it makes you feel inadequate.” Maria Shriver
30. “Do not let perfection and order become your masters! These are the two most dangerous traps set for the spiritual Murid. True spirituality proceeds from an honoring and awareness of chaos and imperfection. Who would dare untangle a rainforest?” Laurence Galian
31. “There is no way to genuinely, powerfully, truly love yourself while crafting a mask of perfection.” Vironika Tugaleva
32. “Striving for perfection is a good and worthwhile effort. Expecting to actually attain perfection can kill you.” Laurence Bergreen
33. “If perfection had a slogan, I think it would be something like: ‘Perfection, the preferred hiding place of people everywhere.’” Kristin Schell
34. “An artist obsessed with perfection is bound to dim the light of his art.” Michael Bassey Johnson
35. “Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that tells us that nothing we do will ever be good enough – that we should try again.” Julia Cameron
36. “Whoever tries to imagine perfection simply reveals his own emptiness.” George Orwell
37. “The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” Anna Quindlen
38. “What if you wake up someday, and you’re 65… and you were just so strung out on perfectionism and people-pleasing that you forgot to have a big juicy creative life.” Anne Lamott
39. “I am glad that I am not perfect – I would be bored to death!” Louise Fitzhugh
40. “Forget your perfect offering, there is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.” Leonard Cohen
41. “I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.” Michael J. Fox
42. “Only gods can safely risk perfection … it’s a dangerous thing for a man.” Frank Herbert
43. “I don’t have to be perfect. All I have to do is show up and enjoy the messy, imperfect, and beautiful journey of my life.” Kerry Washington
44. “Perfection’ is man’s ultimate illusion. It simply doesn’t exist in the universe. If you are a perfectionist, you are guaranteed to be a loser in whatever you do.” David D. Burns
45. “In the pursuit of perfection, I forgot I was already enough.” Caroline George
Final Thoughts
Perfectionism is a trait that drives so many of us. And on the surface, it looks like a good thing to have. Our society and the internet even encourage it. However, it’s always healthier to take imperfect action towards your goals rather than playing “stuck in the mud” because you’re waiting for some grand vision of perfection to be achieved.
I hope these quotes on perfectionism helped you understand that perfectionism is not the key to success but rather a hindrance on the path toward a happy and fulfilled life.
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