--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s Too Hard Remember, perfectionism has…" description: "\"“It’s Too Hard Remember, perfectionism has no sense of gray, things are only black or white. You do it perfectly or you don’t do it at all.”\" — Jon Acuff" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/jon-acuff-8706_black-or-white_it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has_2099181.jpg" --- # It’s Too Hard Remember, perfectionism has no sense of… ![“It’s Too Hard Remember, perfectionism has no sense of gray, things are only black or white. You do it perfectly or you don’t do it at all.” quote by Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/jon-acuff-8706_black-or-white_it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has_2099181.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/jon-acuff-8706_black-or-white_it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has_2099181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/jon-acuff-8706_black-or-white_it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has_2099181.jpg) > ““It’s Too Hard Remember, perfectionism has no sense of gray, things are only black or white. You do it perfectly or you don’t do it at all.”” [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perfectionism forces a binary view, ignoring nuance, leading to all‑or‑nothing thinking. **In simple terms:** Perfectionism is black‑and‑white, not gray. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfect progress. Themes perfectionism mindset productivity Mood anxious determined Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - creative projects - work deadlines - personal goals Key Concepts binary thinking self‑criticism growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can you allow room for mistakes? - What does “good enough” look like for you? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can stifle creativity and cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black or white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-or-white/) [Excellence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/excellence/) [Hard Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-remember/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Perfectionism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionism/) [Perfectionism Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionism-sense-4185657/) [Remember Perfectionism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember-perfectionism-4185656/) [Sense Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sense-gray-4185658/) ## Related quotes > [“Perfectionism always makes things harder and more complicated. Finishers make things easier and simpler. The next time you work on a goal, I dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/perfectionism-always-makes-things-harder-and-more-complicated/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“Unfortunately, perfectionism dies slowly. It’s persistent and particularly dangerous because it masquerades as excellence”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/unfortunately-perfectionism-dies-slowly-it-s-persistent-and/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“most of us carry secret rules for how we’re supposed to live our lives. That’s the brilliance of perfectionism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/most-of-us-carry-secret-rules-for-how-we-re-supposed-to-live-our/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“Reviewing your past is one of the best ways to understand who you really are and how you’ll work best on a goal. Keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/reviewing-your-past-is-one-of-the-best-ways-to-understand-who-you/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“We wouldn’t play if we knew the whole game was impossible, so perfectionism promises us that we just need to follow some secret rules.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/we-wouldn-t-play-if-we-knew-the-whole-game-was-impossible-so/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“Until” is just perfectionism wearing a Halloween costume.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/until-is-just-perfectionism-wearing-a-halloween-costume/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“This is the first lie that perfectionism tells you about goals: Quit if it isn’t perfect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/this-is-the-first-lie-that-perfectionism-tells-you-about-goals-quit/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“It’s the Very Good Reason you cannot pursue your goal. Perfectionism will tell you, “If you’re going to do it, you might as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/it-s-the-very-good-reason-you-cannot-pursue-your-goal-perfectionism/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“But more than just analysis, perfectionism offers us two distinct distractions: Hiding places Noble obstacles A hiding place is an activity you focus on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/but-more-than-just-analysis-perfectionism-offers-us-two-distinct/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“There’s Still Time Perfectionism will tell you that you’ve spent so long in a hiding place that there’s no more time. You’ve missed some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/there-s-still-time-perfectionism-will-tell-you-that-you-ve-spent-so/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“perfectionism is a desperate attempt to live up to impossible standards. Perfectionism will do anything to protect those impossible standards. It can’t let you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/perfectionism-is-a-desperate-attempt-to-live-up-to-impossible/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [Life Goes Very Fast When You Are A Youth, Just Hope You Don't Go With The Flow Till The Point Where You Find It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juru-samuels/life-goes-very-fast-when-you-are-a-youth-just-hope-you-don-t-go-with/) [Juru Samuels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juru-samuels/) > [“Next I think about that night on my bed: her head pressed into my pillow, her hair spread out around her face. The memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-james/next-i-think-about-that-night-on-my-bed-her-head-pressed-into-my/) [Ella James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-james/) > [remembering is a great invention of the mind, and if you try hard enough you can remember anything, whether it really happened or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodman-philbrick/remembering-is-a-great-invention-of-the-mind-and-if-you-try-hard/) [Rodman Philbrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodman-philbrick/) > [“Several times that day, the name or thought of Papa had come up. And each time, Francie had felt a flash of tenderness instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/several-times-that-day-the-name-or-thought-of-papa-had-come-up-and/) [Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/) ## More by Jon Acuff > [“The way you pass through the land of Learning is that you try a bunch of things. Fear would love for you to try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/the-way-you-pass-through-the-land-of-learning-is-that-you-try-a-bunch/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“There is no in-between, just two extremes. That’s the land of noble obstacles.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/there-is-no-in-between-just-two-extremes-that-s-the-land-of-noble/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“The real tragedy of a one-hit wonder is when someone succeeds once and then never tries again. No matter your circumstances, if you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/the-real-tragedy-of-a-one-hit-wonder-is-when-someone-succeeds-once/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“done, we will never work. There will always be one more amazing distraction. Our minds will do anything to avoid the challenge of focusing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/done-we-will-never-work-there-will-always-be-one-more-amazing/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“All you have to do is win more today than you did yesterday and repeat the whole thing tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/all-you-have-to-do-is-win-more-today-than-you-did-yesterday-and/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“In situations like that, all of your focus and energy need to be placed on the actions dial. You’ll have to dramatically increase your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/in-situations-like-that-all-of-your-focus-and-energy-need-to-be/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“If you’re watching Netflix every time it’s time for you to do X, that’s a hiding place. You’re afraid to face the fear of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/if-you-re-watching-netflix-every-time-it-s-time-for-you-to-do-x-that/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“To deal with our secret rules, we have to do three things: Identify them. Destroy them. Replace them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/to-deal-with-our-secret-rules-we-have-to-do-three-things-identify/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“perfectionism is a desperate attempt to live up to impossible standards. Perfectionism will do anything to protect those impossible standards. It can’t let you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/perfectionism-is-a-desperate-attempt-to-live-up-to-impossible/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“Cut your goal in half. Choose what you’ll bomb. Make it fun if you want it done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/cut-your-goal-in-half-choose-what-you-ll-bomb-make-it-fun-if-you-want/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“Your emotions cloud your judgment. They form a perfect smoke screen for denial, making your path in life feel murky and confusing. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/your-emotions-cloud-your-judgment-they-form-a-perfect-smoke-screen/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“Writers aren’t the only ones who use the first kind of noble obstacle. I know some guys who say they can’t work out until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/writers-aren-t-the-only-ones-who-use-the-first-kind-of-noble-obstacle/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“If you ever have to do a complicated, multistep explanation to say why what you’re doing is valuable, it probably isn’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/if-you-ever-have-to-do-a-complicated-multistep-explanation-to-say-why/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [Don't compare you beginning with someone Else's middle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/don-t-compare-you-beginning-with-someone-else-s-middle/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) > [“Hiding places are tricky like that. They make you feel like you’re doing well when in reality you’re not getting anywhere on your most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/hiding-places-are-tricky-like-that-they-make-you-feel-like-you-re/) [Jon Acuff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) [Explore all 78 Jon Acuff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/) ## More Black or white quotes > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Raves when it was safe to be free & wave your hands in the air, like you didn't even care! Not scared to break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/progrezza/raves-when-it-was-safe-to-be-free-wave-your-hands-in-the-air-like-you/) [Progrezza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/progrezza/) > [So many assume the truth is either black or white... It's all evolution or it's totally creation, for example. Reality creates consciousness; consciousness creates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-shepherd/so-many-assume-the-truth-is-either-black-or-white-it-s-all-evolution/) [Peter Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-shepherd/) > [I don't think of people as out-and-out black or white.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabu/i-don-t-think-of-people-as-out-and-out-black-or-white/) [Tabu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabu/) > [Everybody has a little bit of the sun and moon in them. Everybody has a little bit of man, woman, and animal in them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/everybody-has-a-little-bit-of-the-sun-and-moon-in-them-everybody-has/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [“It's easy to say you will do what's right and shun what's wrong, but when you get close enough to any given situation, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-easy-to-say-you-will-do-what-s-right-and-shun-what-s-wrong-but/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Perhaps we should worry less about judging people for being Mormon or Baptist or Muslim or gay or straight or black or white or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charity-sunshine-tillemann-dick/perhaps-we-should-worry-less-about-judging-people-for-being-mormon-or/) [Charity Sunshine Tillemann-Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charity-sunshine-tillemann-dick/) > [As blacks, we need not be afraid that encouraging moraldevelopment, a conscience and guilt will prevent social action. Black children without the ability to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-p-comer-2/as-blacks-we-need-not-be-afraid-that-encouraging-moraldevelopment-a/) [James P Comer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-p-comer-2/) > [“Bloody stars, if this was what it was going to be like having both halves of herself merged into one, she wasn't so certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kady-cross/bloody-stars-if-this-was-what-it-was-going-to-be-like-having-both/) [Kady Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kady-cross/) > [“This world is like a rainbow or flower garden. Each nation donate different colors . Tribe, religion, race, language, traditions and different cultures,etc. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andry-lavigne/this-world-is-like-a-rainbow-or-flower-garden-each-nation-donate/) [Andry lavigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andry-lavigne/) > [It aint about black or white, coz we all human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2pac/it-aint-about-black-or-white-coz-we-all-human/) [2pac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2pac/) > [No female - young, old, black or white - could ever play the knight-on-charger with meager experience. If she presented herself as the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/froma-harrop/no-female-young-old-black-or-white-could-ever-play-the-knight-on/) [Froma Harrop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/froma-harrop/) > [There was no black or white. Someone who had been good her entire life could, in fact, do something evil. People were just as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/there-was-no-black-or-white-someone-who-had-been-good-her-entire-life/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [In the music industry it's just you're either Black or white, and this is the box you get put in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/india-arie-2/in-the-music-industry-it-s-just-you-re-either-black-or-white-and-this/) [India.Arie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/india-arie-2/) [Browse all 246 Black or white quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-or-white/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It’s Too Hard Remember, perfectionism has no sense of gray, things are only black or white. You do it perfectly or you don’t do it at all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jon Acuff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has-no-sense-of-gray-things-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black or white" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has-no-sense-of-gray-things-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/jon-acuff-8706_black-or-white_it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has_2099181.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/jon-acuff-8706_black-or-white_it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has_2099181.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14a/jon-acuff-8706_black-or-white_it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has_2099181.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It’s Too Hard Remember, perfectionism has no sense of gray, things are only black or white. You do it…” — Jon Acuff", "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": "Jon Acuff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-acuff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It’s Too Hard Remember, perfectionism has...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has-no-sense-of-gray-things-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-acuff/it-s-too-hard-remember-perfectionism-has-no-sense-of-gray-things-are/#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 } } ] } ```