Perfect is the enemy of good.
Meaning
Voltaire warns that striving for perfection can delay or prevent progress. Accepting good results allows forward movement.
Best Motivation Quotes with Meaning
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About the author
(1694–1778) was a French writer and philosopher known for his advocacy of freedom of speech, religion, and expression. His works, including "Candide," critique intolerance and injustice. Voltaire’s wit and intellect made him a key figure in the Enlightenment. His ideas influenced political and social reform. Voltaire’s legacy continues to shape modern thought and values.
Why This Quote Matters
Here Voltaire names something many feel yet rarely articulate: the pull of Progress. The line’s force is that Voltaire warns that striving for perfection can delay or prevent progress.
Accepting good results allows forward movement. It works best as a quiet check-in, not a slogan to recite. Keep the line somewhere you’ll actually see it again.
How to Apply This Quote in Life
Keep a short list of moments when Progress, Work mattered more than you expected. Anchor the idea to a place—a walk, a desk, a playlist—so memory catches.
Adjust the method, not the goal, when something isn’t sticking. Simple wins here more often than clever.
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