Top 103 Perfectionism Quotes & Sayings

Perfectionism becomes a badge of honor with you playing the part of the suffering hero.

Nothing is less efficient than perfectionism.

Perfectionism is the mother of procrastination.

If your fidelity to perfectionism is too high, you never do anything.

Perfectionism attaches to what is valued in the culture.

A wonderful pastor I know once told me, "Perfectionism is the highest order of self-abuse." So now I try to remind myself that if I engage in perfectionism, I am abusing myself. Period.

But I always feel that whatever I do, I could do better. I suppose it is perfectionism.

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.

As the days progressed, I felt as if YNK' was my first film. That is because the director was hellbent on perfectionism. He was insistent about getting the best out of me.

Perfectionism kills art. I find that if I criticise myself, it spoils the fun. You can get paralysed by analysis - it takes all the playfulness away.

Europe seems a little softer, but in America it's harsh. In L.A., where I live, it's all about perfectionism.

I have struggled with perfectionism and I think it's a really damaging thing in my own life. When we put that perfectionism on someone else, it just hurts relationships whereas grace and trusting someone else's heart is a really, really incredible and important part of any relationship.

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor; the enemy of the people. It will keep you insane your whole life.

In a weird kind of way, music has afforded me an idealism and perfectionism that I could never attain as me.

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

Perfectionism is the death of a great room.

I took everything really seriously and was overly sensitive about things, and I think that's rooted in perfectionism.

Perfectionism may look good in his shiny shoes, but he’s a little bit of an asshole and no one invites him to their pool parties.

There is nothing perfect, no one can be perfect, and perfectionism is something you shouldn't chase.

Perfectionism spells paralysis.

However, don't let perfectionism become an excuse for never getting started.

There's really no way to be perfect. Perfectionism is a silly trait to have, so in a lot of ways that inspired the world of 'Divergent,' in which everyone is striving toward that ideal and falling short of it.

Perfectionism is self-destructive simply because there is no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal. Additionally, perfectionism is more about perception - we want to be perceived as perfect. Again, this is unattainable - there is no way to control perception, regardless of how much time and energy we spend trying.

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.

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life Besides, perfectionism will ruin your writing, blocking inventiveness and playfulness and life force (these are words we are allowed to use in California).

Perfectionism is not the same thing as striving to be our best. Perfectionism is not about healthy achievement and growth; it's a shield.

Perfectionism is not as much the desire for excellence, as it is the fear of failure couched in procrastination .

Perfectionism is the fear of being criticized.

Perfectionism is slow death.

These 'mistakes' occur in my books for a reason. I have an agenda: I'm secretly trying to inspire kids to create their own stories and comics, and I don't want them to feel stifled by 'perfectionism.'

Intuitionism is not constructive, perfectionism is unacceptable.

I've learned how my own perfectionism can cripple me.

Film industry is a pretty brutal business. If you fall too far behind, all of the perfectionism in the world won't save you.

Perfectionism is a perpetual flight into an illusory future that cannot be attained.

Perfectionism is a dangerous state of mind in an imperfect world.

Replace perfectionism with persistence. After all, in recovery and life, it's persistence that really pays off. Forget about perfection.

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

Perfectionism is self destructive simply because there's no such thing as perfect. Perfection is an unattainable goal.

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

Perfectionism is a mean, frozen form of idealism, while messes are the artist's true friend.

If you are a real perfectionist, you can't finish any job! We, the mortals, we don't have enough time to be perfectionist! Perfectionism is the art of immortals!

Directing is a mixture of compromise and perfectionism. When you lose the judgment of which is more important at any particular moment, you're time is over. They find you out and send you packing.

I have to say that I've always believed perfectionism is more of a disease than a quality. I do try to go with the flow but I can't let go.

Perfectionism is the counterfeit of excellence. Excellence is Kingdom, while perfectionism is religion. What ever you do, do it with all you might, and as unto the Lord. That is excellence.

Perfectionism and optimalism are not distinct ways of being, an either-or choice, but rather they coexist in each person. And while we can move from perfectionism toward optimalism, we never fully leave perfectionism behind and never fully reach optimalism ahead. The optimalism ideal is not a distant shore to be reached but a distant star that guides us and can never be reached. As Carl Rogers pointed out, ‘The good life is a process, not a state of being. It is a direction, not a destination

Perfectionism has nothing to do with getting it right. It has nothing to do with fixing things. It has nothing to do with standards. Perfectionism is a refusal to let yourself move forward. It is a loop-an obsessive, debilitating closed system that causes you to get stuck in the details of what you are writing or painting or making and to lose sight of the whole.

Insecurity's best cover is perfectionism. That's where it becomes an art form.

[perfectionism leads to] a tendency to apologize preemptively for one's efforts, knowing from experience that there's sure to be something wrong with them.

Perfectionism doesn't make you feel perfect. It makes you feel inadequate.

Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor.

The fastest way to break the cycle of perfectionism and become a fearless mother is to give up the idea of doing it perfectly - indeed to embrace uncertainty and imperfection.

When perfectionism is driving us, shame is riding shotgun and fear is that annoying backseat driver!

Perfectionism rarely begets perfection, or satisfaction - only disappointment.

Perfectionism is boring and doesn't exist-to strive for it makes you uninteresting.

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.

Perfectionism doesn't believe in practice shots. It doesn't believe in improvement. Perfectionism has never heard that anything worth doing is worth doing badly--and that if we allow ourselves to do something badly we might in time become quite good at it. Perfectionism measures our beginner's work against the finished work of masters. Perfectionism thrives on comparison and competition. It doesn't know how to say, "Good try," or "Job well done." The critic does not believe in creative glee--or any glee at all, for that matter. No, perfectionism is a serious matter.

Perfectionism is the enemy of profitability.

What if you wake up some day, 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?

Regret is just perfectionism plus time.

I realized we're all perfectly imperfect, which was a big thing. Perfectionism, to me, was an important thing.