--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yet again, the more you strive for some…" description: "\"Yet again, the more you strive for some kind of perfection or mastery—in morals, in art or in spirituality—the more you see that you are playing a rari..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/anonymous-1_art_yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-k_2902438.jpg" --- # Yet again, the more you strive for some kind of perfection… ![“Yet again, the more you strive for some kind of perfection or mastery—in morals, in art or in spirituality—the more you see that you are playing a rarified and lofty form of the old ego-game, and that your attainment of any height is apparent to yourself and to others only by contrast with someone…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/anonymous-1_art_yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-k_2902438.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/anonymous-1_art_yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-k_2902438.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/anonymous-1_art_yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-k_2902438.jpg) > “Yet again, the more you strive for some kind of perfection or mastery—in morals, in art or in spirituality—the more you see that you are playing a rarified and lofty form of the old ego-game, and that your attainment of any height is apparent to yourself and to others only by contrast with someone else's depth or failure.” [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 pursuit of perfection often becomes a competitive ego display, where achievements are measured against others' shortcomings rather than intrinsic growth. **In simple terms:** Chasing perfection can turn into ego competition. Key Takeaway Focus on personal growth, not comparison. Themes ego perfectionism comparison spirituality art Mood reflective critical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal development - creative practice - spiritual study - team leadership Key Concepts self‑awareness humility intrinsic motivation Questions to Reflect On - How does comparing to others affect your self‑esteem? - What practices help you value intrinsic progress? A Different Perspective It can foster insecurity and endless rivalry. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Attainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attainment/) [Contrast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contrast/) [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Ego](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego/) [Ego Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ego-game-464925/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form/) [Game Attainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-attainment-4134570/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Height](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/height/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Mastery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mastery/) [Mastery Morals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mastery-morals-4134568/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/) [Spirituality Playing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality-playing-4134569/) [Strive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strive/) [Strive Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strive-kind-3521071/) ## Related quotes > [I strive to be kind to everyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scheana-shay/i-strive-to-be-kind-to-everyone/) [Scheana Shay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scheana-shay/) > [The minute you start compromising for the sake of massaging somebody's ego, that's it, game over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/the-minute-you-start-compromising-for-the-sake-of-massaging-somebody/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [Golf is a game of ego, but it is also a game of integrity: the most important thing is you do what is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-watson/golf-is-a-game-of-ego-but-it-is-also-a-game-of-integrity-the-most/) [Tom Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-watson/) > [All athletes speak about the mental element of athletics, and it usually boils down to the same thing: if you can remove your ego…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/all-athletes-speak-about-the-mental-element-of-athletics-and-it/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [There was one of his lonelinesses coming, one of those times when he walked the streets or sat, aimless and depressed, biting a pencil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-was-one-of-his-lonelinesses-coming-one-of-those-times-when-he/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being yourself in a world which wants you to be someone else is the highest possible attainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-yourself-in-a-world-which-wants-you-to-be-someone-else-is-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be not content with the common place in character anymore than with the commonplace in ambition or intellectual attainment. Do not expect that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-not-content-with-the-common-place-in-character-anymore-than-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [All great people glorify their history and look back upon their early attainments with a spiritualized vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/all-great-people-glorify-their-history-and-look-back-upon-their-early/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Make no display of your talents or attainments; for every one will clearly see, admire, and acknowledge them, so long as you cover them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/make-no-display-of-your-talents-or-attainments-for-every-one-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I take it, sir, that you do not approve of our new society." "Approval, sir, in my opinion, demands the attainment of perfection. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-take-it-sir-that-you-do-not-approve-of-our-new-society-approval-sir/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It sounds paradoxical to say the attainment of scientific truth has been effected, to a great extent, by the help of scientific errors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-sounds-paradoxical-to-say-the-attainment-of-scientific-truth-has/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You must intensify and render continuous by repeatedly presenting with suggestive ideas and mental pictures of the feast of good things, and the flowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-must-intensify-and-render-continuous-by-repeatedly-presenting/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every attainment, every step forward in knowledge, follows from courage, from hardness against oneself, from cleanliness in relation to oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-attainment-every-step-forward-in-knowledge-follows-from-courage/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Not merely by rules of conduct and religious observances, nor by much learning either, nor even by attainment of concentration, nor by sleeping alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-merely-by-rules-of-conduct-and-religious-observances-nor-by-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life, whether in this world or any other, is the sum of our attainment, our experience, our character. The conditions are secondary. In what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/life-whether-in-this-world-or-any-other-is-the-sum-of-our-attainment/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) ## 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 Art quotes > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) [Taf Teh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taf-teh/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/) [Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/) > [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/) [Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/) [G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/) > [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/) [Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/) > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) [Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Yet again, the more you strive for some kind of perfection or mastery—in morals, in art or in spirituality—the more you see that you are playing a rarified and lofty form of the old ego-game, and that your attainment of any height is apparent to yourself and to others only by contrast with someone else's depth or failure.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-kind-of-perfection-or-mastery/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Art" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-kind-of-perfection-or-mastery/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/anonymous-1_art_yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-k_2902438.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/anonymous-1_art_yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-k_2902438.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/848/anonymous-1_art_yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-k_2902438.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yet again, the more you strive for some kind of perfection or mastery—in morals, in art or in…” — 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": "Yet again, the more you strive...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-kind-of-perfection-or-mastery/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yet-again-the-more-you-strive-for-some-kind-of-perfection-or-mastery/#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 } } ] } ```