Striving for excellence motivates you; striving for perfection is demoralizing. ~Harriet Braiker
Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks. ~Goethe
A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault. ~John Henry Newman
Sometimes... when you hold out for everything, you walk away with nothing.
Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best. ~Author unknown
Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands. But like the seafaring man on the desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them you will reach your destiny. ~Carl Schurz
Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without. ~Confucius, Analects
When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target. ~George Fisher
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
A good garden may have some weeds. ~Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732
Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence. ~Vince Lombardi
When nobody around you seems to measure up, it's time to check your yardstick. ~Bill Lemley
Try as hard as we may for perfection, the net result of our labors is an amazing variety of imperfectness. We are surprised at our own versatility in being able to fail in so many different ways. ~Samuel McChord Crothers
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything,
That's how the light gets in.
~Leonard Cohen