--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perfectionism is the enemy of creation…" description: "\"Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self- solitude is the enemy of well- being.\" — John Updike" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/john-updike-396_acceptance_perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-a_614355.png" --- # Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self… ![“Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self- solitude is the enemy of well- being.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/john-updike-396_acceptance_perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-a_614355.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/john-updike-396_acceptance_perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-a_614355.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/john-updike-396_acceptance_perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-a_614355.png) > “Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self- solitude is the enemy of well- being.” [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perfectionism and extreme isolation hinder creative output and personal wellbeing. **In simple terms:** Perfectionism and isolation block creation and health. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfection and connection. Themes creativity mental health perfectionism solitude balance Mood thoughtful inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - writing sessions - team projects - self‑care routines - creative workshops Key Concepts psychology creative process wellbeing Questions to Reflect On - Can imperfection improve work? - When is solitude beneficial for creativity? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can also drive high standards; isolation may be needed for focus. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [Creation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creation/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Extreme Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extreme-self-2687163/) [Extremes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremes/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Perfectionism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionism/) [Perfectionism Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionism-enemy-2982615/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-solitude-348163/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Solitude Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude-enemy-1850137/) [Well being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/well-being/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [Perfectionism is the enemy of profitability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-profitability/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [“Perfectionism is the enemy of the author. There is a difference between good writing habits and perfectionism. The author who displays good writing habits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gudjon-bergmann/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-the-author-there-is-a-difference/) [Gudjon Bergmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gudjon-bergmann/) > [“Perfectionism is the enemy of happiness. Embrace being perfectly imperfect. Learn from your mistakes and forgive yourself, you’ll be happier. We make mistakes because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-happiness-embrace-being-perfectly/) [Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/) > [perfectionism is the enemy of art. Since art is essentially divine play, not dogged work, it often happens that as one becomes more professionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-art-since-art-is-essentially-divine/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [“Perfectionism is the enemy of creativity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-meunier/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creativity/) [Nathan Meunier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-meunier/) > [“But the truth was that he died from solitude, the enemy known but to a few on this Earth, and whom only the simplest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/but-the-truth-was-that-he-died-from-solitude-the-enemy-known-but-to-a/) [Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/) > [“A destructive thought process exists within all of us, and we are plagued to varying degrees by an internal dialogue that is harmful, restrictive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-firestone/a-destructive-thought-process-exists-within-all-of-us-and-we-are/) [Lisa Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-firestone/) > [It's very difficult to judge yourself. Extreme self-doubt is only attractive when it's fictionalized. Which is why people love the movies. They are so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-danes/it-s-very-difficult-to-judge-yourself-extreme-self-doubt-is-only/) [Claire Danes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-danes/) > [“There is even in the most selfish passion a large element of self-abnegation. It is startling to realize that we call extreme self-seeking is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/there-is-even-in-the-most-selfish-passion-a-large-element-of-self/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [To practice Extreme Self-Care, you must learn to love yourself unconditionally, accept your imperfections, and embrace your vulnerabilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-richardson/to-practice-extreme-self-care-you-must-learn-to-love-yourself/) [Cheryl Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-richardson/) > [Despair is the absolute extreme of self-love. It is reached when a person deliberately turns his back on all help from anyone else in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/despair-is-the-absolute-extreme-of-self-love-it-is-reached-when-a/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [ “What if \[you\] just can’t come up with 10 ideas? Here’s the magic trick: If you can’t come up with 10 ideas, come up… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/what-if-you-just-can-t-come-up-with-10-ideas-here-s-the-magic-trick/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [Loneliness is the poverty of self; solitude is the richness of self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/loneliness-is-the-poverty-of-self-solitude-is-the-richness-of-self/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I cannot endure the horror, the evil, which comes to self in solitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/i-cannot-endure-the-horror-the-evil-which-comes-to-self-in-solitude/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [“The journey towards your inner self is Solitude!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farheen-viquas/the-journey-towards-your-inner-self-is-solitude/) [Farheen Viquas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farheen-viquas/) ## More by John Updike > [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“it was somehow wonderful of her to be, in every detail, herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/it-was-somehow-wonderful-of-her-to-be-in-every-detail-herself/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Her hair had been going gray as long as he could remember; she bundled it behind in a bun held with hairpins that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/her-hair-had-been-going-gray-as-long-as-he-could-remember-she-bundled/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/possession-diminishes-perception-of-value-immediately/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More Acceptance quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Acceptance of death when it arrives is one thing, but to allow it to upstage the joys of living is ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-blythe/acceptance-of-death-when-it-arrives-is-one-thing-but-to-allow-it-to/) [Ronald Blythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-blythe/) > [“Loving someone who does not love you back hurts, alot, i know. It is liking seeing these pair of shoes at the retail store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomthandazo-tsembeni/loving-someone-who-does-not-love-you-back-hurts-alot-i-know-it-is/) [Nomthandazo Tsembeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomthandazo-tsembeni/) > [Take responsibily for your past, the bad memories of poor decisions you took were your choices once, and you liked them for the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marvin/take-responsibily-for-your-past-the-bad-memories-of-poor-decisions/) [Aruho Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marvin/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/) [Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance is the only thing you should teach. Be it Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Dalit, you must inculcate acceptance, not tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-haasan/acceptance-is-the-only-thing-you-should-teach-be-it-christian-muslim/) [Kamal Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-haasan/) > [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,960 Acceptance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self- solitude is the enemy of well- being.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Updike" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-as-extreme-self-solitude-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acceptance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-as-extreme-self-solitude-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/john-updike-396_acceptance_perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-a_614355.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/john-updike-396_acceptance_perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-a_614355.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f8/john-updike-396_acceptance_perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-a_614355.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self- solitude is the enemy of well- being.” — John Updike", "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": "John Updike", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Perfectionism is the enemy of creation,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-as-extreme-self-solitude-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/perfectionism-is-the-enemy-of-creation-as-extreme-self-solitude-is/#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 } } ] } ```