--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was perfect... and then I wasn't." description: "\"“I was perfect... and then I wasn't.”\" — Courtney Summers" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/courtney-summers-3779_parker_i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t-816869_816869.png" --- # I was perfect... and then I wasn't. ![“I was perfect... and then I wasn't.” quote by Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/courtney-summers-3779_parker_i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t-816869_816869.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/courtney-summers-3779_parker_i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t-816869_816869.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/courtney-summers-3779_parker_i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t-816869_816869.png) > ““I was perfect... and then I wasn't.”” [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perfection is fleeting; loss of it leads to growth and authenticity. **In simple terms:** Perfection ends, growth begins. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfection for growth. Themes growth imperfection identity Mood reflective hopeful Type literary psychological When to use this quote - personal development - creative work - relationships - mental health Key Concepts self‑acceptance change vulnerability Questions to Reflect On - What does losing perfection teach you? - How can you value imperfection? A Different Perspective Perfection can be paralyzing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parker/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Perfect Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-wasn-331164/) ## Related quotes > [Marilyn Monroe appeared to be perfect, but she wasn't perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/marilyn-monroe-appeared-to-be-perfect-but-she-wasn-t-perfect/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [“At least it would have been perfect, if it wasn't for my mother.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-james/at-least-it-would-have-been-perfect-if-it-wasn-t-for-my-mother/) [Heather James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-james/) > [You told me I was perfect, you told me I was all you ever wanted, you told me I was beautiful and you told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-told-me-i-was-perfect-you-told-me-i-was-all-you-ever-wanted-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And my marriage was perfect when I wasn't famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-wayans/and-my-marriage-was-perfect-when-i-wasn-t-famous/) [Damon Wayans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-wayans/) > [“You're not responsible for everything, Parker. You can't control the way things end up. Stop trying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/you-re-not-responsible-for-everything-parker-you-can-t-control-the/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“It's not the past if it's still haunting your present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-messe/it-s-not-the-past-if-it-s-still-haunting-your-present/) [Ellie Messe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-messe/) > [“You hate birthdays yet pee your pants over presents. There is clearly something wrong with you," Garrett joked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-e-sivec/you-hate-birthdays-yet-pee-your-pants-over-presents-there-is-clearly/) [T.E. Sivec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-e-sivec/) > [“If Parker Pen put Janesville on the map, GM kept it there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-goldstein/if-parker-pen-put-janesville-on-the-map-gm-kept-it-there/) [Amy Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-goldstein/) > ['The Simpsons' is like Charlie Parker or Marlon Brando or Richard Pryor: Comedy couldn't go back to the way it was after 'The Simpsons'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-andre/the-simpsons-is-like-charlie-parker-or-marlon-brando-or-richard-pryor/) [Eric Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-andre/) > [“I swear to God, Haley!" He fumes, "Stop fucking saying that! You are not some piece of ass! You're the woman I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-messe/i-swear-to-god-haley-he-fumes-stop-fucking-saying-that-you-are-not/) [Ellie Messe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-messe/) > [Phoebe Wolkind Ephron cracked wise like Dorothy Parker and looked like Katharine Hepburn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/phoebe-wolkind-ephron-cracked-wise-like-dorothy-parker-and-looked/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-phone-rang-parker-was-in-the-garage-killing-a-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The religious imagery and fairytales that formed our shared cultural references have been replaced by the cult of celebrity. Marilyn is the sex goddess,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jackson/the-religious-imagery-and-fairytales-that-formed-our-shared-cultural/) [Alison Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jackson/) > [“I know,” he said, very softly. “Let’s go home. Let’s go home, and you can tell me whatever you want, and I’ll believe you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlyn-kane/i-know-he-said-very-softly-let-s-go-home-let-s-go-home-and-you-can/) [Ashlyn Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlyn-kane/) > [“He should earn a puffy-tail for helping and lose it for being mean,” Parker puts in. “At least then he breaks even.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-korman/he-should-earn-a-puffy-tail-for-helping-and-lose-it-for-being-mean/) [Gordon Korman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-korman/) ## More by Courtney Summers > [Write it down today, put it away, make sense of it tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/write-it-down-today-put-it-away-make-sense-of-it-tomorrow/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“You wanted the truth. Or are you afraid of it now?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/you-wanted-the-truth-or-are-you-afraid-of-it-now/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“In high school, you don't get to change. You only get to walk variations of the same lines everyone has already drawn for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/in-high-school-you-don-t-get-to-change-you-only-get-to-walk/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“I don't like you with Becky. She's not a very nice girl.' 'I don't like you with Jake. He's not me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/i-don-t-like-you-with-becky-she-s-not-a-very-nice-girl-i-don-t-like/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“I think there’s nothing left for me. I don’t think that for everyone else.” “So what do they have that you don’t at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/i-think-there-s-nothing-left-for-me-i-don-t-think-that-for-everyone/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“This is awful. This is so hopeless. We're all lost in different ways, so how do we even help each other find our way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/this-is-awful-this-is-so-hopeless-we-re-all-lost-in-different-ways-so/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“The people feel and look the same, like they've settled here even though they know there's something more-something better-just beyond where they are. Small-town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/the-people-feel-and-look-the-same-like-they-ve-settled-here-even/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“When he sees me, he stops. His eyes widen, his face pales. And then before i can say anything, he's holding me. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/when-he-sees-me-he-stops-his-eyes-widen-his-face-pales-and-then/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“Cary's going to give them the rundown on everything we've managed to piece together about what happened before Baxter got in and the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/cary-s-going-to-give-them-the-rundown-on-everything-we-ve-managed-to/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [We eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the soundtrack of our own impending death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/we-eat-breakfast-lunch-and-dinner-to-the-soundtrack-of-our-own/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [Cardboard cutouts of cheerleaders operated by arthritic monkeys would move more fluidly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/cardboard-cutouts-of-cheerleaders-operated-by-arthritic-monkeys-would/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“You know," she says. "You're still alive. I don't know how many different ways I can try to tell you before it finally sinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/you-know-she-says-you-re-still-alive-i-don-t-know-how-many-different/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“If life was fair, you wouldn't be here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/if-life-was-fair-you-wouldn-t-be-here/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“I wonder if, even after all of this, he understands how fragile good things are in my hands and how many times they've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/i-wonder-if-even-after-all-of-this-he-understands-how-fragile-good/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) > [“No, you're a work of art.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/no-you-re-a-work-of-art/) [Courtney Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) [Explore all 122 Courtney Summers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/) ## More Parker quotes > [“He should earn a puffy-tail for helping and lose it for being mean,” Parker puts in. “At least then he breaks even.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-korman/he-should-earn-a-puffy-tail-for-helping-and-lose-it-for-being-mean/) [Gordon Korman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-korman/) > [“I know,” he said, very softly. “Let’s go home. Let’s go home, and you can tell me whatever you want, and I’ll believe you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashlyn-kane/i-know-he-said-very-softly-let-s-go-home-let-s-go-home-and-you-can/) [Ashlyn Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashlyn-kane/) > [The religious imagery and fairytales that formed our shared cultural references have been replaced by the cult of celebrity. Marilyn is the sex goddess,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-jackson/the-religious-imagery-and-fairytales-that-formed-our-shared-cultural/) [Alison Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-jackson/) > [When the phone rang, Parker was in the garage, killing a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-phone-rang-parker-was-in-the-garage-killing-a-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Phoebe Wolkind Ephron cracked wise like Dorothy Parker and looked like Katharine Hepburn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hallie-ephron/phoebe-wolkind-ephron-cracked-wise-like-dorothy-parker-and-looked/) [Hallie Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hallie-ephron/) > [“I swear to God, Haley!" He fumes, "Stop fucking saying that! You are not some piece of ass! You're the woman I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-messe/i-swear-to-god-haley-he-fumes-stop-fucking-saying-that-you-are-not/) [Ellie Messe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-messe/) > ['The Simpsons' is like Charlie Parker or Marlon Brando or Richard Pryor: Comedy couldn't go back to the way it was after 'The Simpsons'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-andre/the-simpsons-is-like-charlie-parker-or-marlon-brando-or-richard-pryor/) [Eric Andre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-andre/) > [“If Parker Pen put Janesville on the map, GM kept it there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-goldstein/if-parker-pen-put-janesville-on-the-map-gm-kept-it-there/) [Amy Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-goldstein/) > [“You hate birthdays yet pee your pants over presents. There is clearly something wrong with you," Garrett joked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-e-sivec/you-hate-birthdays-yet-pee-your-pants-over-presents-there-is-clearly/) [T.E. Sivec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-e-sivec/) > [“It's not the past if it's still haunting your present.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-messe/it-s-not-the-past-if-it-s-still-haunting-your-present/) [Ellie Messe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-messe/) > [“Quit Believing in Lies and Always Search For the Truth!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charleston-parker/quit-believing-in-lies-and-always-search-for-the-truth/) [Charleston Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charleston-parker/) > [I've always wanted to play Peter Parker, obviously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-o-brien/i-ve-always-wanted-to-play-peter-parker-obviously/) [Dylan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-o-brien/) > [Parker was a nightmare. But Carter seems to like his sleep and is a chilled, content baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-bridge/parker-was-a-nightmare-but-carter-seems-to-like-his-sleep-and-is-a/) [Frankie Bridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-bridge/) > [“It doesn't have to be romantic, but I want you, Parker. Every day since that night, I've wanted you. I even dreamt about you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nacole-stayton/it-doesn-t-have-to-be-romantic-but-i-want-you-parker-every-day-since/) [Nacole Stayton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nacole-stayton/) > [Any young man coming of age has a lot to go through. Peter Parker certainly has a lot of responsibility, and without doubt, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-james-thomas/any-young-man-coming-of-age-has-a-lot-to-go-through-peter-parker/) [Matthew James Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-james-thomas/) [Browse all 118 Parker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parker/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I was perfect... and then I wasn't.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Courtney Summers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Parker" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/courtney-summers-3779_parker_i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t-816869_816869.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/courtney-summers-3779_parker_i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t-816869_816869.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8f4/courtney-summers-3779_parker_i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t-816869_816869.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was perfect... and then I wasn't.” — Courtney Summers", "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": "Courtney Summers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-summers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I was perfect... and then I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-summers/i-was-perfect-and-then-i-wasn-t/#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 } } ] } ```