--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't try to be perfect, just try to be…" description: "\"Don't try to be perfect, just try to be better than you were yesterday\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37c/anonymous-1_imperfection_don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-b_2018068.jpg" --- # Don't try to be perfect, just try to be better than you… ![“Don't try to be perfect, just try to be better than you were yesterday” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37c/anonymous-1_imperfection_don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-b_2018068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37c/anonymous-1_imperfection_don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-b_2018068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37c/anonymous-1_imperfection_don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-b_2018068.jpg) > “Don't try to be perfect, just try to be better than you were yesterday” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The advice urges focusing on incremental improvement rather than unattainable perfection. **In simple terms:** Aim for daily improvement, not perfection. Key Takeaway Strive for progress each day. Themes self‑improvement growth realism Mood encouraging hopeful Type motivational self‑help When to use this quote - fitness - learning - habit formation Key Concepts incremental change self‑compassion goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What small improvement can you make today? - How does letting go of perfection affect stress? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can motivate high standards, which this view downplays. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-yesterday/) [Imperfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfection/) [Just Try](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-try/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Try Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-better/) [Try Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/try-perfect-266990/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) ## Related quotes > [Dont try to be perfect. Just try to be better than you were yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-better-than-you-were-yesterday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't try to become the perfect man, but I do try to become a better man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-try-to-become-the-perfect-man-but-i-do-try-to-become-a-better/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've learned that you should only try to be better than who you were yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacy-catanzaro/i-ve-learned-that-you-should-only-try-to-be-better-than-who-you-were/) [Kacy Catanzaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacy-catanzaro/) > [Myself, I always tell people that if you're not getting better you're only getting worse, and every day I try and be better than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-kingston/myself-i-always-tell-people-that-if-you-re-not-getting-better-you-re/) [Kofi Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-kingston/) > [I always try to be better than yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-lovren/i-always-try-to-be-better-than-yesterday/) [Dejan Lovren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-lovren/) > [“All you can try to do is be better than you were yesterday, everyday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-harrison-green/all-you-can-try-to-do-is-be-better-than-you-were-yesterday-everyday/) [Marcus Harrison Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-harrison-green/) > [Live fully, have fun.Be crazy, be weird.Gou out and screw up!Dont try to be perfect.Just be an excellent sample of being human.Enjoy life!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/live-fully-have-fun-be-crazy-be-weird-gou-out-and-screw-up-dont-try/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not perfect and I don't try to be perfect. I accept myself just in the way I am and I respect myself because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-perfect-and-i-don-t-try-to-be-perfect-i-accept-myself-just-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't try to find the perfect in me, you'll be looking forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-try-to-find-the-perfect-in-me-you-ll-be-looking-forever/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never try to be a perfect person or act perfect. You were created as an imperfect being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-try-to-be-a-perfect-person-or-act-perfect-you-were-created-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-be-an-excellent-example-of-being-human/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't try and perfect yourself for one person. Wait for the one that loves your imperfections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-try-and-perfect-yourself-for-one-person-wait-for-the-one-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Can't change who I am, I just try to get better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wale/can-t-change-who-i-am-i-just-try-to-get-better/) [Wale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wale/) > [I just try and get better and better at me with every album.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-benet/i-just-try-and-get-better-and-better-at-me-with-every-album/) [Eric Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-benet/) > [Rather than aiming to be perfect, just aim to be better than yesterday and thats good enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rather-than-aiming-to-be-perfect-just-aim-to-be-better-than-yesterday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Imperfection quotes > [Imperfections are what make you perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nia-tell/imperfections-are-what-make-you-perfect/) [Nia Tellé](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nia-tell/) > [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [You know why you're not perfect? You do everything perfectly and you think you are perfect, but the mere fact that you think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-why-you-re-not-perfect-you-do-everything-perfectly-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Try spelling that, lol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/try-spelling-that-lol/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The seed of your next artwork lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bayles/the-seed-of-your-next-artwork-lies-embedded-in-the-imperfections-of/) [David Bayles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bayles/) > [Silence tells the seeker in us to love, to love himself. It tells us it is wrong to hate ourselves because of our imperfections.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/silence-tells-the-seeker-in-us-to-love-to-love-himself-it-tells-us-it/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [Laugh at every mistakes and realize that no one is perfect. We are human. All of us are imperfect, so there's no point judging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laugh-at-every-mistakes-and-realize-that-no-one-is-perfect-we-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Earth life is giant field day where we willingly choose the limitation of racing with both feet in a potato sack, or sometimes we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaya-mclaren/earth-life-is-giant-field-day-where-we-willingly-choose-the/) [Kaya McLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaya-mclaren/) > [I decided to lock myself in. A forced segregation. Sabbatical. A retreat into myself. My selves. Play hide and go seek in the looking-glass.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/i-decided-to-lock-myself-in-a-forced-segregation-sabbatical-a-retreat/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [I might not have the perfect teeth, The biggest boobs, The nicest butt, The sexiest tan, Or the best hair.. but I'm me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-bennett/i-might-not-have-the-perfect-teeth-the-biggest-boobs-the-nicest-butt/) [Hannah Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-bennett/) > [In an attempt to hinder, if not altogether halt, the next move of God, Satan has sent forth an army of faultfinding demons against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-frangipane/in-an-attempt-to-hinder-if-not-altogether-halt-the-next-move-of-god/) [Francis Frangipane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-frangipane/) > [Do I have bad days? Absolutely. But there are ways to overcome these things and that's perhaps what I do differently: I don't allow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-renn/do-i-have-bad-days-absolutely-but-there-are-ways-to-overcome-these/) [Crystal Renn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-renn/) > [I have never meant a person that was perfect. We all make mistakes. Even the people that think they're perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-never-meant-a-person-that-was-perfect-we-all-make-mistakes/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Your desire for perfection is the cause of anger. Leave room for imperfection. Perfection in action is almost impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/your-desire-for-perfection-is-the-cause-of-anger-leave-room-for/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [“Mental health professionals have their own blocks, distraction, prejudices, and cultural upbringing, all of which color the work that they do, no matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-e-smith/mental-health-professionals-have-their-own-blocks-distraction/) [Laurie E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-e-smith/) [Browse all 1,121 Imperfection quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfection/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't try to be perfect, just try to be better than you were yesterday", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-better-than-you-were-yesterday/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Imperfection" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-better-than-you-were-yesterday/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37c/anonymous-1_imperfection_don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-b_2018068.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37c/anonymous-1_imperfection_don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-b_2018068.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37c/anonymous-1_imperfection_don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-b_2018068.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Don't try to be perfect, just try to be better than you were yesterday” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Don't try to be perfect, just...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-better-than-you-were-yesterday/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-try-to-be-perfect-just-try-to-be-better-than-you-were-yesterday/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```