The world we live in forces us to strive for perfection in every aspect — from our personal relationships and our professional goals.

But perfection is an unattainable concept, I’d say. 

However, it certainly is a great motivating force that can keep us focused on self-improvement and on the path to achieving our goals. 

So, in the spirit of self-motivation, I bring you a great collection of 150 quotes of perfection uncovering words of wisdom that can help you excel in anything you set your mind to.

I collected them from various online sources and they are sure to challenge the concept of striving for the ideal and give you lots of insightful perspectives.

10 Greatest Quotes Of Perfection 

1. “Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupery

2. “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” — Vince Lombardi

3. “This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections.” — Saint Augustine

4. “I know who I am. I am not perfect. I’m not the most beautiful woman in the world. But I’m one of them.” — Mary J. Blige

5. “I think perfection is ugly. Somewhere in the things humans make, I want to see scars, failure, disorder, distortion.” — Yohji Yamamoto

6. “Perfection is boring. If a face doesn’t have mistakes, it’s nothing.” — Kevyn Aucoin

7. “The essence of being human is that one does not seek perfection.” — George Orwell

8. “People throw away what they could have by insisting on perfection, which they cannot have, and looking for it where they will never find it.” — Edith Schaeffer

9. “Few good friends, one great partner, and something I love to do every day, that’s the idea of my little perfect life.” ― Sarvesh Jain

10. “Life is a moving, breathing thing. We have to be willing to constantly evolve. Perfection is constant transformation.” — Nia Peeples

Perfection Quotes To Inspire You To Work On Yourself 

1. “Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.” — Marie Angelique Arnauld

2. “Strive for continuous improvement, instead of perfection.” — Kim Collins

3. “Expecting perfection can only lead to disappointment. Besides, it’s the flaws that give a person character. That’s where the beauty hides.” ― Tessa Bailey

4. “Don’t worry about getting perfect, just keep getting better.”― Frank Peretti

5. “Forever does not imply perfection; rather, it refers to long-term happiness that allows us to strive to be a better person every day.” ― Shaa Zainol

6. “Imperfection facilitates improvement, perfection facilitates stagnation.” ― Abhijit Naskar

7. “Be content with nothing less than perfection.” ― Walter J. Phillips

8. “When you stop expecting people to be perfect, you can like them for who they are.” ― Donald Miller

9. “The pursuit of perfection often impedes improvement.” — George Will

10. “It’s actually normal to desire perfection — at least near, but remember originality too.” ― Itohan Eghide

11. “Perfection is not necessary to make a real and lasting difference to other people’s lives.” ― J. K. Rowling

12. “The real goal is to create something that evokes emotion, not to be perfect.” ― Drasen

13. “We ruin what we have by trying to make it perfect. Enjoy the imperfectness.” ― Sarvesh Jain

14. “When something has been perfect, there is a tendency to try hard to repeat it.” ― Edna O’Brien 

15. “You don’t have to be perfect, just try to be kind. Perfection is inferior to kindness.” ― Debasish Mridha

16. “Only a fool pursues perfection, the wise pursues self-correction.” ― Abhijit Naskar

17. “Perfection is a never-ending process of self-discovery and improvement.” ― Tony Robbins

18. “Our erected wit maketh us to know what perfection is.” ― Philip Sidney

19. “The pursuit of perfection, then, is the pursuit of sweetness and light.” — Matthew Arnold

20. “There is no limit to how good you can get in pursuit of perfection.” ― Sachin Kumar Puli

21. “It’s not about perfection; it’s about the joy of striving.” — Thomas Keller

22. “There is desire in the perfect, beauty in the imperfect. Thus I lust over the flawless, and fall amorously forceless to the flawed.” ― Ilyas Kassam

23. “And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” ― John Steinbeck

24. “A pursuit for perfection is the most leading cause of procrastination in artists.” ― Neeraj Agnihotri

25. “Perfection is impossible; just strive to do your best.” — Angela Watson

26. “He only moves toward the perfection of his art whose criticism surpasses his achievement.” ― Leonardo da Vinci

27. “If you do not learn to deny yourself, you can make no progress in perfection.” ― John of the Cross

28. “Perfection to me is, I walk away from a situation and say, ‘I did everything I could do right there. There was nothing more that I could do.’ I was a hundred percent, like the meter was at the top. There was nothing else I could have done. You know? Like, I worked as hard as I possibly could have. That’s perfection.” — Drake

29. “I’m a perfectionist. Sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s okay if there are flaws here and there.” ― Tyra Banks

30. “Until you realize perfection is an ideal and not a reality, you will never have self-confidence.” ― J.S. Felts

See also: 80 Inspirational Confidence Affirmations To Empower You

Quotes Of Perfection To Wise You Up

1. “I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for; perfection is God’s business.” — Michael J. Fox

2. “The wise strive for their best. The foolish strive for perfection.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

3. “Have no fear of perfection — you’ll never reach it.” — Salvador Dali

4. “When you’re passionate about something, you want it to be all it can be. But in the endgame of life, I fundamentally believe the key to happiness is letting go of that idea of perfection.” — Debra Messing

5. “The man with insight enough to admit his limitations comes nearest to perfection.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

6. “Style is the perfection of a point of view.” — Richard Eberhart

7. “Imperfection and perfection go so hand in hand, and our dark and our light are so intertwined, that by trying to push the darkness or the so-called negative aspects of our life to the side… we are preventing ourselves from the fullness of life.” — Jeff Bridges

8. “I am not a perfectionist. Perfection doesn’t exist in real life. It’s a wrong title for me.” — Aamir Khan

9. “Redemption is not perfection. The redeemed must realize their imperfections.” — John Piper

10. “Finality is death. Perfection is finality. Nothing is perfect. There are lumps in it.” — James Stephens

11. “The artist who aims at perfection in everything achieves it in nothing.” — Eugene Delacroix

12. “Everyone is comparing lives on social media and wants the perfect body, perfect image, perfect outfit, perfect life — we’re striving for this perfection, and it’s so unhealthy because there’s no such thing as perfection.” — Emily Atack

13. “I think the perfection of love is that it’s not perfect.” — Taylor Swift

14. “We curate our lives around this perceived sense of perfection because we get rewarded in these short-term signals: Hearts, likes, thumbs up. We conflate that with value, and we conflate it with truth, and instead, what it really is is fake, brittle popularity that’s short term and leaves you even more vacant and empty before you did it.” — Chamath Palihapitiya

15. “There is a very thin line between wisely striving for your best and foolishly striving for perfection.” ― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

16. “The perfection of art is to conceal art.” — Quintilian

17. “If I waited for perfection… I would never write a word.” — Margaret Atwood

18. “Perfectionism rarely begets perfection, or satisfaction — only disappointment.” — Ryan Holiday

19. “Perfection doesn’t exist.” — Andres Iniesta

20. “Love doesn’t demand perfection, but it does ask you to give yourself with less reserve than you’d prefer.” ― Thomas Moore

21. “The only skill that cannot be perfected is perfection itself.”― Daphne Delacroix

22. “A minute of perfection was worth the effort. A moment was the most you could ever expect from perfection.” — Chuck Palahniuk

23. “Adjusting to the requirement for perfection is, I think, the most difficult part of learning to program.” ― Fred Brooks

24. “Where utility ends and decoration begins is perfection.” ― Jack Gardner

25. “We must know when to move on. To search too long for perfection can also paralyze.” ― Peter Goldsworthy

26. “Perfection is just a word. The only real standard is excellence.” ― Jim Rohn

27. “To accomplish the perfect perfection, a little imperfection helps.” ― Dejan Stojanovic

28. “Perfection is a measure of our own limitations, not a measure of reality.” ― Shunryu Suzuki

29. “Perfection is a pursuit, not a guarantee.” ― Tim Fargo

30. “Perfection has to do with the end product, but excellence has to do with the process.” — Jerry Moran

Motivational Quotes About Perfection

1. “Strive for perfection in everything. Take the best that exists and make it better. If it doesn’t exist, create it. Accept nothing nearly right or good enough.” — Henry Royce

2. “It’s not about finding relevance or perfection or imperfection in objects, but it’s that you can accept yourself and then go out and accept others.” — Jeff Koons

3. “Looking for perfection is the only way to motivate yourself.” — Ronnie O’Sullivan

4. “I don’t believe in perfection. I don’t think there is such a thing. But the energy of wanting things to be great is a perfectionist energy.” — Reese Witherspoon

5. “You can’t wait to become perfect, you got to go out and fall down and get up with everybody else.” — Ray Bradbury

6. “I think what makes people fascinating is conflict, it’s drama, it’s the human condition. Nobody wants to watch perfection.” — Nicolas Cage

7. “Aim at perfection in everything, though in most things it is unattainable. However, they who aim at it, and persevere, will come much nearer to it than those whose laziness and despondency make them give it up as unattainable.” — Philip Stanhope

8. “No, you’re not perfect and that’s how it should be.” ― Megan Hine

9. “Perfection cannot be defined or seen; it can only be found in your heart.” — Kelly Millar

10. “Stop hating on yourself for not being perfect. If God wanted perfection, He would have made you an angel.” ― Yasmin Mogahed

11. “To feel much for others and little for ourselves; to restrain our selfishness and exercise our benevolent affections, constitute the perfection of human nature.” — Adam Smith

12. “Perfection is impossible, but you don’t stop aiming for it.” — Saquon Barkley

13. “Strive not for perfection..but for lives and loves that matter.” ― Debora Spar

14. “You are loved just for being who you are, just for existing. You don’t have to do anything to earn it. Your shortcomings, your lack of self-esteem, physical perfection, or social and economic success — none of that matters. No one can take this love away from you, and it will always be here.” — Ram Dass

15. “To appreciate life’s small moments, it helps to have a sense the whole can never be made perfect.”― Alain de Botton

16. “Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.” — Aristotle

17. “I don’t love Photoshop; I like imperfection. It doesn’t mean ugly. I love a girl with a gap between her teeth, versus perfect white veneers. Perfection is just… boring. Perfect is what’s natural or real; that is beauty.” — Marc Jacobs

18. “If you look for perfection, you’ll never be content.” — Leo Tolstoy

19. “You’re not looking for perfection in your partner. Perfection is all about the ego. With soulmate love, you know that true love is what happens when disappointment sets in — and you’re willing to deal maturely with these disappointments.” — Karen Salmansohn

20. “I’ve seen the majestic beauty of nature and the overwhelming perfection of it. To me, there’s nothing closer to God than that.” — Cote de Pablo

21. “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” — John Henry Newman

22. “Every particular in nature, a leaf, a drop, a crystal, a moment of time is related to the whole, and partakes of the perfection of the whole.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

23. “Sensuality is not about perfection, it’s about inspiration and expression.” ― Lebo Grand

24. “Producing perfection from imperfection is, after all, the highest of art forms.” — Frank Herbert

25. “I’m definitely on the pursuit of perfection…I will always be learning.” — Conor McGregor

26. “I gave up my struggle with perfection a long time ago. That is a concept I don’t find very interesting anymore. Everyone just wants to look good in the photographs. I think that is where some of the pressure comes from. Be happy. Be yourself, the day is about a lot more.” — Anne Hathaway

27. “No one is perfect. It’s not interesting to be perfect.” — Lindsay Lohan

28. “There would be no need for love if perfection were possible. Love arises from our imperfection, from our being different and always in need of the forgiveness, encouragement and that missing half of ourselves that we are searching for, as the Greek myth tells us, in order to complete ourselves.” — Eugene Kennedy

29. “Nobody’s perfect. We’re all just one step up from the beasts and one step down from the angels.” — Jeannette Walls

20. “Don’t brag about being perfect. Imperfections are what makes you attractive.” ― Sandra Chami Kassis

Quotes On Perfection To Help You Reach Success

1. “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.” — Colin Powell

2. “We never taste happiness in perfection, our most fortunate successes are mixed with sadness.” — Pierre Corneille

3. “Perfection does not exist — you can always do better and you can always grow.” — Les Brown

4. “Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.” — Martha Graham

5. “What I’ve learned is you don’t have to strive for perfection, but you do have to strive to be a very hard worker.” — Lindsay Pearce

6. “Success has nothing to do with perfection.” — Michelle Obama

7. “Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.” ― Vince Lombardi

8. “Perfection is not a destination, it’s a journey towards excellence.” ― Robin Sharma

9. “Perfection of moral virtue does not wholly take away the passions, but regulates them.” — Thomas Aquinas

10. “Ethics is the activity of man directed to secure the inner perfection of his own personality.” — Albert Schweitzer

11. “Immoral is choosing not to act when you hold in your hands the power to create perfection.” — Mark Crispin Miller

12. “My ambition is peace and perfection.” — DeForest Kelley

13. “To make one good action succeed another, is the perfection of goodness.” — Ali ibn Abi Talib

14. “A principle is the expression of perfection, and as imperfect beings like us cannot practice perfection, we devise every moment limits of its compromise in practice.” —  Mahatma Gandhi

15. “A perfect human being: Man in search of his ideal of perfection. Nothing less.” — Pir Vilayat Khan

16. “Be intent upon the perfection of the present day.” — William Law

17. “Action is the highest perfection and drawing forth of the utmost power, vigor, and activity of man’s nature.” — Robert South

18. “Not a having and a resting, but a growing and becoming, is the character of perfection as culture conceives it.” — Matthew Arnold

19. “When I think of art I think of beauty. Beauty is the mystery of life. It is not in the eye it is in the mind. In our minds there is awareness of perfection.” — Agnes Martin

20. “Successful design is not the achievement of perfection but the minimization and accommodation of imperfection.” — Henry Petroski

See also: 220 Best Proverbs About Success To Give You Inspiration

Quotes Of Perfection To Keep You Focused On Your Goals

1. “March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life’s path.” — Khalil Gibran

2. “Perfect should never be a goal. Perfect just happens if you let it.” ― Wendy Wunder

3. “I am no longer concerned with sensation and innovation, but with the perfection of my style.” — Yves Saint Laurent

4. “Done is better than perfect.” — Sheryl Sandberg

5. “Confusion of goals and perfection of means seems, in my opinion, to characterize our age.” — Albert Einstein

6. “Better to do something imperfectly than to do nothing perfectly.” — Robert H. Schuller

7. “I probably do have an obsessive personality, but striving for perfection has served me well.” — Tom Ford

8. “Perfectionism means that you try not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived.” ― Anne Lamott

9. “Perfection is not a destination; it’s a never—ending process…Enjoy!” ― Jim Bouchard

10. “Fix your eyes on perfection and you make almost everything speed towards it.” — William Ellery Channing

11. “Allow yourself to go and do it wrong. Don’t expect to always get it right. It will prevent you from doing anything.” — Darren Hardy

12. “Perfection isn’t everything, some mistakes are pretty groovy.” — Lenny Henry

13. “Perfection is a road, not a destination. Every time I live, I get an education.” — Burk Hudson

14. “Passion drives perfection.” — Rick Warren

15. “The principal mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers.” — Arthur Koestler

16. “If you think you’ve already made it, that’s when you can fall short and go backwards. I’m constantly pushing forward and chasing the element of perfection.” — Jason Derulo

17. “Perfection is a myth. Embrace your imperfections, and use them to your advantage.” ― Arianna Huffington

18. “Never aim for perfect. That will guarantee failure almost every time.” — Caroline Ghosn

19. “Advance, and never halt, for advancing is perfection. Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path, for they draw only corrupt blood.” — Khalil Gibran

20. “Strive for perfection. Nobody’s going to be perfect on this earth. But strive for perfection.” — Judith Jamison

Progression Over Perfection Quotes

1. “A small step of progression is a thousand times better than a delayed step of perfection.” — Tony Warrick

2. “If virtue promises happiness, prosperity and peace, then progress in virtue is progress in each of these for to whatever point the perfection of anything brings us, progress is always an approach toward it.” — Epictetus

3. “Perfectionism procrastinates and paralyzes progress.” ― Tony Warrick

4. “Perfection is attained by slow degrees; it requires the hand of time.” — Voltaire

5. “A certain type of perfection can only be realized through a limitless accumulation of the imperfect.” — Haruki Murakami

6. “Perfection is lots of little things done well.” — Fernand Point

7. “When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.” — George Fisher

8. “Perfection is not a fixed state, but a process of growth and evolution.” ― Ken Blanchard

9. “Progress is more important than perfection.” — Simon Sinek

10. “The perfecting of one’s self is the fundamental base of all progress and all moral development.” — Confucius

See also: 170 Genius Goal Achievement Quotes To Help You Succeed

Final Thoughts

I hope my list of quotes of perfection has brought you a new light on the complexities and challenges of trying to be perfect and offered you a more enlightened perspective!