--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To do something perfectly, you must not…" description: "\"To do something perfectly, you must not think about what you are doing at all ... Your thoughts are what create imperfections in your actions. They ali..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/frederick-lenz-8_action_to-do-something-perfectly-you-must-not-t_3042175.jpg" --- # To do something perfectly, you must not think about what… ![“To do something perfectly, you must not think about what you are doing at all ... Your thoughts are what create imperfections in your actions. They alienate you from the true reality of any action you perform.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/frederick-lenz-8_action_to-do-something-perfectly-you-must-not-t_3042175.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/frederick-lenz-8_action_to-do-something-perfectly-you-must-not-t_3042175.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11d/frederick-lenz-8_action_to-do-something-perfectly-you-must-not-t_3042175.jpg) > “To do something perfectly, you must not think about what you are doing at all ... Your thoughts are what create imperfections in your actions. They alienate you from the true reality of any action you perform.” [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Overthinking creates imperfections; true action arises from a clear, unclouded mind. **In simple terms:** Stop overthinking to act perfectly. Key Takeaway Quiet the mind for flawless action. Themes mindfulness focus perfection Mood calm focused Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - performance arts - sports - public speaking - creative work Key Concepts psychology cognitive control Questions to Reflect On - How can you quiet thoughts? - When does analysis help? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can cause paralysis. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Athletics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/athletics/) [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Doing Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-thoughts-991500/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Imperfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfection/) [Perfectly Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectly-think-269564/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Doing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-doing-238956/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Thoughts Create](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts-create-548976/) [True reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-reality/) ## Related quotes > [“Thoughts well up in our mind moment by moment. But we refrain from doing anything with our thoughts. We just let everything come up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daido-loori/thoughts-well-up-in-our-mind-moment-by-moment-but-we-refrain-from/) [John Daido Loori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daido-loori/) > [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/) > [“Adrian, we hashed this out! Everything's gone perfectly until now. Why would you even think about deviating from the plan?' 'Um, because that's how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/adrian-we-hashed-this-out-everything-s-gone-perfectly-until-now-why/) [Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/) > [From three to four, he planned to stand perfectly still and think of what it was like to be alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/from-three-to-four-he-planned-to-stand-perfectly-still-and-think-of/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [You can just sit and space out. A lot of people do that and think they are doing a wonderful meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-just-sit-and-space-out-a-lot-of-people-do-that-and-think-they/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Physical perfection, working out, adds to your spiritual perfection if that is your intent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/physical-perfection-working-out-adds-to-your-spiritual-perfection-if/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [If you have the sense of participation in sports or athletics, of being a player, then you are not really into the Zen mind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-have-the-sense-of-participation-in-sports-or-athletics-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The very advanced practitioners of martial arts never had to raise a hand. They could knock an opponent down without physically touching them, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-very-advanced-practitioners-of-martial-arts-never-had-to-raise-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Winning has to do with gaining personal power through the practice of meditation and mindfulness; not draining your energy on ridiculous things and people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/winning-has-to-do-with-gaining-personal-power-through-the-practice-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Transform yourself. It is not the opponent that will change, or the Frisbee. They will change in relation to your change. You must change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/transform-yourself-it-is-not-the-opponent-that-will-change-or-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [All success in sports and athletics, from the Zen point of view, comes from the mind. No matter what kind of shape your body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/all-success-in-sports-and-athletics-from-the-zen-point-of-view-comes/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [In the game of Frisbee you throw the disk to someone else. The point of Frisbee is perfect communication. The person at the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/in-the-game-of-frisbee-you-throw-the-disk-to-someone-else-the-point/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I like extreme athletics, extreme meditation and extremely beautiful women. Perhaps I'm an extreme person, or it's simply my Karma. But I must tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-like-extreme-athletics-extreme-meditation-and-extremely-beautiful/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [It is a good idea to become involved with sports and athletics. It makes you strong. You need to be strong to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/it-is-a-good-idea-to-become-involved-with-sports-and-athletics-it/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The strategy of winning is gaining personal power. There are no techniques to learn that will cause you to win. You need power, balance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-strategy-of-winning-is-gaining-personal-power-there-are-no/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More by Frederick Lenz > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. 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Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! 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