Inspirational Perfectionism Quotes & Sayings

There is a difference between obsessive perfectionism and taking time to create something that is the best you can offer. Knowing what needs to be better and stretching to improve yourself is what separates the mediocre from the marvelous. — Suzanna Reeves

The Russians feared Ike. They didn't fear me. — Lyndon B. Johnson

You think that's going to exonerate you? — Anthony Doerr

Slow down. Calm down. Don't worry. Don't hurry. Trust the process. — Alexandra Stoddard

Perfection is fragile; interacting with something that seems perfect puts it in peril. — Sharon Salzberg

You can waste a perfectly good life trying to meet the standards of someone who thinks you're not good enough because they can't understand who you are. — Barbara Sher

Those in power must spend a lot of their time laughing at us. — Alice Walker

The notion of the perfect time is more than myth. It's the ultimate self-delusion. — Gina Greenlee

Teach us to pray that we may cause The enemy to flee, That we his evil power may bind, His prisoners to free. — Watchman Nee

Perfectionism is a delusion that can rob one of a very successful, enriching life if not careful. — April Bryan

Perfectionism is procrastination masquerading as quality control. — Steven Barnes

As a young wife and mother living in a pre-Pinterest world, I used to glue-gun bows and small pieces of minutia together methodically. I was an insomniac proudly penning thank you notes longer than the Declaration of Independence to every person who had even sent me a card. I was reorganizing my linen closet, ironing placemats, straight-ironing my hair, and never saying no to any person that asked me for a favor. And, I forgot to mention, I didn't really like myself.
I felt like a fuzzy, carbon copy of myself. I felt the passion, the conviction, and the grit somewhere inside of me yet a bunch of preconceived ideas somehow got in the way. — Ann Brasco

God, grant me the serenity to stop beating myself up for not doing things perfectly, the courage to forgive myself because I'm working on doing better, and the wisdom to know that You already love me just the way I am. — Eleanor Brownn

When we relate to ourselves with loving kindness, perfectionism naturally drops away. — Sharon Salzberg

Our culture is obsessed with perfection, especially when it comes to the way women look. The parameters of acceptability as far as physical appearance go are so limiting that only a handful of women actually fall into this category. And the rest of us are left to either squeeze ourselves into molds that don't fit, hating ourselves all the while, or we just give up entirely. — Yancy Lael

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

Petrichord: the sound of water sliding over smooth stone. — Ron Rash

If you're thinking, 'Great! I just need to be a superhero to fight perfectionism,' I understand. Courage, compassion, and connection seem like big, lofty ideals. But in reality, they are daily practices that, when exercised enough, become these incredible gifts in our lives. And the good news is that our vulnerabilities are what force us to call upon these amazing tools. Because we're human and so beautifully imperfect, we get to practice using our tools on a daily basis. In this way, courage, compassion, and connection become gifts - the gifts of imperfection. — Brene Brown

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

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. — Anne Lamott

Perfectionism is not the same thing has striving to be your best. Perfectionism is the belief that if we live perfect, look perfect, and act perfect, we can minimize or avoid the pain of blame, judgement, and shame. It's a shield. It's a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it's the thing that's really preventing us from flight. — Brene Brown

If it's worth doing, it's worth doing badly. (on not perfectionism to put things off) . — Gilbert K. Chesterton

Clinging to our ideas of perfection isolates us from life and is a barrier. — Sharon Salzberg