I never expect to see a perfect work from imperfect man.

Alexander Hamilton (1755 - 1804), The Federalist

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.

Anna Quindlen (1953 - )

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944)

Perfection is a road, not a destination. Every time I live, I get an education.

Burk Hudson

Aim for success, not perfection. Never give up your right to be wrong, because then you will lose the ability to learn new things and move forward with your life.

Dr. David M. Burns

Assert your right to make a few mistakes. If people can't accept your imperfections, that's their fault.

Dr. David M. Burns

Remember that fear always lurks¹ behind perfectionism. Confronting your fears and allowing yourself the right to be human can, paradoxically, make you a far happier and more productive person.

Dr. David M. Burns

Artists who seek perfection in everything are those who cannot attain² it in anything.

Eugene Delacroix (1798 - 1863)

I do think imperfection's underrated.

Helena Bonham Carter

No one can be perfectly³ free till all are free; no one can be perfectly moral till all are moral; no one can be perfectly happy till all are happy.

Herbert Spencer (1820 - 1903), Social Statics, part 4, chapter 30 1851

Perfectionism is simply putting a limit on your future. When you have an idea of perfect in your mind, you open the door to constantly comparing what you have now with what you want. That type of self criticism is significantly deterring⁴.

John Eliot, Ph.D., Reverse Psychology⁵ for Success

The idea of perfect closes your mind to new standards. When you drive hard toward one ideal, you miss opportunities and paths, not to mention hurting your confidence. Believe in your potential and then go out and explore it; don't limit it.

John Eliot, Ph.D., Reverse Psychology for Success

I don't confuse greatness with perfection. To be great anyhow is…the higher achievement.

Lois McMaster Bujold, "Mirror Dance", 1994

I am careful not to confuse excellence⁶ with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; perfection is God's business.

Michael J. Fox (1961 - ), quoted by Lorne A. Adrain in 'The Most Important Thing I Know'

[M]aybe the most any of us can expect of ourselves isn't perfection but progress.

Michelle Burford, O Magazine, 2003

To demand perfection is a sure way to be disappointed in everybody, for you will be bound to think ill of others.

Monica Fairview, Darcy Cousins, 2010

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew.

Saint Francis de Sales (1567 - 1622)

Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it.

Salvador Dali (1904 - 1989)

Try as hard as we may for perfection, the net result of our labors⁷ is an amazing variety of imperfectness. We are surprised at our own versatility⁸ in being able to fail in so many different ways.

Samuel McChord Crothers

If you'd like to be good at something, the first thing to out the window is the notion of perfection.

Scott Berkun, Confessions⁹ of a Public Speaker, 2009

You have to let people see what you wrote. It will never be perfect, but perfect is overrated. Perfect is boring.

Tina Fey, Bossypants, 2011

We are all imperfect. We cannot expect perfect government.

William Howard Taft, Address, Washington, D.C., May 8, 1909