quotes by Voltaire don't allow the perfect to be…

Keyword perfection quotes by Voltaire don't allow the perfect to be the enemy of the good.

— from The Relationship With Yourself (Traits/Reflection) · Measure what matters

In the book

If you define excellence as one hundred percent, no mistakes, you have set a standard that only guarantees misery. Better to keep Voltaire's warning close: do not let the perfect become the enemy of the good. The second storm is self-pity and victimhood. Feeling sorry for yourself is seductive precisely because it takes all the pressure off — when you have a grievance against the world, you are excused from helping anyone, from doing anything hard, even from stopping to smell the flowers. […] Keep an inner scorecard. Measure yourself by your own honest standard, not by the crowd's; and root your worth in the kind of person you are and the skills you hold, not in your latest accomplishment. Talk to yourself like someone you love. Catch the inner bully in the act; aim for excellence but never let perfectionism stop you from trying; and refuse to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Build your character on purpose. You are not set like plaster: pick one trait, set small goals, act the part, and track it in a log. — The Relationship With Yourself (Traits/Reflection)

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