--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is a disease is wishing with an…" description: "\"What is a disease is wishing with an equal intensity what is needed and what is desirable, and suffer for not being perfect as you would suffer for not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/fernando-pessoa-177_bread_what-is-a-disease-is-wishing-with-an-equ_2730201.jpg" --- # What is a disease is wishing with an equal intensity what… ![“What is a disease is wishing with an equal intensity what is needed and what is desirable, and suffer for not being perfect as you would suffer for not having bread. The romantic error is this wanting the moon as if there was a way to get it.” quote by Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/fernando-pessoa-177_bread_what-is-a-disease-is-wishing-with-an-equ_2730201.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/fernando-pessoa-177_bread_what-is-a-disease-is-wishing-with-an-equ_2730201.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23f/fernando-pessoa-177_bread_what-is-a-disease-is-wishing-with-an-equ_2730201.jpg) > “What is a disease is wishing with an equal intensity what is needed and what is desirable, and suffer for not being perfect as you would suffer for not having bread. The romantic error is this wanting the moon as if there was a way to get it.” [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Desire for perfection creates suffering; wishing for the impossible (the moon) mirrors yearning for unattainable goals. **In simple terms:** Wanting perfection causes pain, like longing for the impossible. Key Takeaway Accept imperfection and set realistic goals. Themes philosophy desire imperfection Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - personal expectations Key Concepts existentialism human condition Questions to Reflect On - What does “the moon” represent for you? - How can you balance desire and realism? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can lead to chronic dissatisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) [Desirable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desirable/) [Desirable Suffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desirable-suffer-2948891/) [Disease](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease/) [Disease Wishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disease-wishing-2948889/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Error Wanting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/error-wanting-2948892/) [Errors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/errors/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Intensity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intensity/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Not being perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-being-perfect/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Romantic Error](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic-error-2948890/) [Suffer Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffer-having-2948893/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [Nature has decreed that for what men suffer by having to shave, be killed in battle, and eat the legs of chickens, women make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-struther/nature-has-decreed-that-for-what-men-suffer-by-having-to-shave-be/) [Jan Struther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-struther/) > [ “\[From Flowering Judas \] She is, her comrades tell her, full of romantic error, for what she defines as cynicism in them is merely… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/from-flowering-judas-she-is-her-comrades-tell-her-full-of-romantic/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [Forgive others, forgive yourself, forgive yourself for not being perfect, and accept responsibility for your own life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-buscaglia/forgive-others-forgive-yourself-forgive-yourself-for-not-being/) [Leo Buscaglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-buscaglia/) > [Not being perfect hurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/not-being-perfect-hurts/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Don't beat yourself up for not being perfect. 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You don't have to feel like you're suffering just because your life is unfortunate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nisioisin/okay-it-s-okay-don-t-worry-about-it-just-chill-out-you-don-t-have-to/) [NisiOisiN](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nisioisin/) > [Right through to the end of the last World Cup game, I still couldn't bear the thought of not being perfect or letting people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-wilkinson/right-through-to-the-end-of-the-last-world-cup-game-i-still-couldn-t/) [Jonny Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-wilkinson/) > [Stop hating on yourself for not being perfect. 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