--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I think I've learned is that you're…" description: "\"What I think I've learned is that you're never going to get it all right, and you can't obsess about having a fact wrong or a date wrong or something l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_confidence_what-i-think-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-re_24200.jpg" --- # What I think I've learned is that you're never going to… ![“What I think I've learned is that you're never going to get it all right, and you can't obsess about having a fact wrong or a date wrong or something like that, as long as you tried as best you could. If you've done the kind of research that you're sure is pretty good, then you just have to have…” quote by Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_confidence_what-i-think-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-re_24200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_confidence_what-i-think-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-re_24200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f0a/doris-kearns-goodwin-1951_confidence_what-i-think-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-re_24200.jpg) > “What I think I've learned is that you're never going to get it all right, and you can't obsess about having a fact wrong or a date wrong or something like that, as long as you tried as best you could. If you've done the kind of research that you're sure is pretty good, then you just have to have confidence in it, so that nothing is perfect in life. I think that is what the criticism has helped me to understand.” [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Accepting imperfection in research and life, emphasizing effort over flawless accuracy. **In simple terms:** Perfection is unattainable; confidence in solid work matters. Key Takeaway Embrace good enough and trust your diligence. Themes imperfection confidence research integrity self‑acceptance learning from criticism Mood reflective determined Type advice personal insight When to use this quote - academic writing - journalistic reporting - project post‑mortems - personal decision‑making Key Concepts error tolerance self‑efficacy critical reflection Practical Applications - risk assessment - confidence building Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging imperfection affect future work? - When should you prioritize accuracy over speed? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Criticism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/criticism/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Have confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/have-confidence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nothing is perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing-is-perfect/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I didn't have everything served to me on a silver platter during my career; unfair criticism helped me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-inzaghi/i-didn-t-have-everything-served-to-me-on-a-silver-platter-during-my/) [Filippo Inzaghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-inzaghi/) > [There is nothing sacred or untouchable except the freedom to think. Without criticism, that is to say, without rigor and experimentation, there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/there-is-nothing-sacred-or-untouchable-except-the-freedom-to-think/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [I think criticism of good work should stop somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharad-pawar/i-think-criticism-of-good-work-should-stop-somewhere/) [Sharad Pawar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharad-pawar/) > [I think that criticism is unjustified. It's a cute term, but noone shouldn't be criticized for who he is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremiah-wright/i-think-that-criticism-is-unjustified-it-s-a-cute-term-but-noone/) [Jeremiah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremiah-wright/) > [I think any criticism bothers anybody. I get my back up when I hear stuff that I think the people don't know what they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-d-antoni/i-think-any-criticism-bothers-anybody-i-get-my-back-up-when-i-hear/) [Mike D'Antoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-d-antoni/) > [I don't think the criticism is fair. I think the criticism is assuming that Donald Trump giving up on something. He's not. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-mulvaney/i-don-t-think-the-criticism-is-fair-i-think-the-criticism-is-assuming/) [Mick Mulvaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-mulvaney/) > [I think one should take criticism in one's stride and prove oneself. In fact, I would like to thank my critics as their criticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-khemu/i-think-one-should-take-criticism-in-one-s-stride-and-prove-oneself/) [Kunal Khemu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-khemu/) > [When I was a kid, I had a tendency to criticize. But when I did, my mum would whisk me off to the bathroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/when-i-was-a-kid-i-had-a-tendency-to-criticize-but-when-i-did-my-mum/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [What do you think of the criticism that you're not very good?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/what-do-you-think-of-the-criticism-that-you-re-not-very-good/) [George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/) > [I'm always trying to improve. I think I take criticism constructively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-jarrett/i-m-always-trying-to-improve-i-think-i-take-criticism-constructively/) [Valerie Jarrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-jarrett/) > [I welcome comments. I think criticism can be very constructive and can help further. I mean, there's no perfect perfection anywhere. There's no perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-payette/i-welcome-comments-i-think-criticism-can-be-very-constructive-and-can/) [Julie Payette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-payette/) > [To think of criticism as a conversation is to think of it as a social act, something that puts you in touch with other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlene-croce/to-think-of-criticism-as-a-conversation-is-to-think-of-it-as-a-social/) [Arlene Croce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlene-croce/) > [I think where the criticism of videogames come from is where videogames are just Xeroxes of films, and when you get a film adaptation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wright/i-think-where-the-criticism-of-videogames-come-from-is-where-2/) [Edgar Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wright/) > [I think where the criticism of videogames come from is where videogames are just Xeroxes of films, and when you get a film adaptation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-wright/i-think-where-the-criticism-of-videogames-come-from-is-where/) [Edgar Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-wright/) > [England has been praised for turning out intelligent, adult pictures whereas Hollywood has been severely censured for turning out junk. I don't think criticism…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-garfield/england-has-been-praised-for-turning-out-intelligent-adult-pictures/) John Garfield ## More by Doris Kearns Goodwin > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I wish we could go back to the time when the private lives of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-wish-we-could-go-back-to-the-time-when-the-private-lives-of-our/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [People will love him (Theodore Roosevelt) for the enemies he has made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/people-will-love-him-theodore-roosevelt-for-the-enemies-he-has-made/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“This extreme treatment was among the proliferating regimens developed in response to the stunning increase in nervous disorders diagnosed around the turn of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/this-extreme-treatment-was-among-the-proliferating-regimens-developed/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“I could carve out of a banana a judge with more backbone than that,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-could-carve-out-of-a-banana-a-judge-with-more-backbone-than-that/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“And Lincoln, as would be evidenced throughout his presidency, was a master of timing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/and-lincoln-as-would-be-evidenced-throughout-his-presidency-was-a/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“Don’t hit till you have to; but, when you do hit, hit hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/don-t-hit-till-you-have-to-but-when-you-do-hit-hit-hard/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“After ministering each day to the hundreds of young men who had endured ghastly wounds, submitted to amputations without anesthesia, and often died without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/after-ministering-each-day-to-the-hundreds-of-young-men-who-had/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [The value that I found in interviewing was for an educational experience, just to know that history itself is subjective, that you can't say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/the-value-that-i-found-in-interviewing-was-for-an-educational/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Excitement about things became a habit, a part of my personality, and the expectation that I should enjoy new experiences often engendered the enjoyment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/excitement-about-things-became-a-habit-a-part-of-my-personality-and/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“All the cartoonists at heart liked him, and there was seldom or never anything bitter or really unfriendly in their portrayals of him; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/all-the-cartoonists-at-heart-liked-him-and-there-was-seldom-or-never/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I think that's still what the American Dream means: that with perseverance, with hard work, you can become something, that the classes won't prevent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-think-that-s-still-what-the-american-dream-means-that-with/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [I shall always be grateful for this curious love of history, allowing me to spend a lifetime looking back into the past, allowing me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-shall-always-be-grateful-for-this-curious-love-of-history-allowing/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [“Simon Cameron: “I loved my brother, as only the poor and lonely can love those with whom they have toiled and struggled up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/simon-cameron-i-loved-my-brother-as-only-the-poor-and-lonely-can-love/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [When I look at what a writer owes to the reader, it's critical to know that everything you're writing about is not made up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/when-i-look-at-what-a-writer-owes-to-the-reader-it-s-critical-to-know/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) [Explore all 196 Doris Kearns Goodwin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) Senoraroy > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I think I've learned is that you're never going to get it all right, and you can't obsess about having a fact wrong or a date wrong or something like that, as long as you tried as best you could. If you've done the kind of research that you're sure is pretty good, then you just have to have confidence in it, so that nothing is perfect in life. 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