---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Trying to achieve an error-free…"
description: "\"“Trying to achieve an error-free manuscript is almost like trying to fly to the moon on a paper airplane.”\" — Jon Michael Riley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/jon-michael-riley-249953_manuscript_trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscri_3226743.jpg"
---

#  Trying to achieve an error-free manuscript is almost like…

![“Trying to achieve an error-free manuscript is almost like trying to fly to the moon on a paper airplane.” quote by Jon Michael Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/jon-michael-riley-249953_manuscript_trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscri_3226743.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/jon-michael-riley-249953_manuscript_trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscri_3226743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/jon-michael-riley-249953_manuscript_trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscri_3226743.jpg)

> ““Trying to achieve an error-free manuscript is almost like trying to fly to the moon on a paper airplane.””

[Jon Michael Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-michael-riley/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Attempting a perfect manuscript is as impossible as flying to the moon with a paper airplane.

**In simple terms:** Perfection is unattainable.

Key Takeaway

Accept imperfection in work.

Themes

writing perfection creativity realism humor

Mood

humorous realistic motivational

Type

Manuscript:1 Writer:1 Error Free:0 Free Manuscript:0 Manuscript Like:0 Moon Paper:0

When to use this quote

- author advice
- creative process
- motivational reminder

Key Concepts

process expectations risk management

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance quality and practicality?
- When is “good enough” acceptable?

A Different Perspective

Perfectionism can hinder progress.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Error Free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/error-free-1412354/) [Free Manuscript](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/free-manuscript-6087400/) [Manuscript](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manuscript/) [Manuscript Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manuscript-like-6087401/) [Moon Paper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon-paper-6087402/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [There are two ways to write error-free programs; only the third one works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-perlis/there-are-two-ways-to-write-error-free-programs-only-the-third-one/)

[Alan Perlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-perlis/)

> [We strive for error-free medicine in a world that is sometimes all too human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-strive-for-error-free-medicine-in-a-world-that-is-sometimes-all/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The most efficient way to memorise a piece is to use the one which proceeds in an error free manner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-rachmaninoff/the-most-efficient-way-to-memorise-a-piece-is-to-use-the-one-which/)

[Sergei Rachmaninoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-rachmaninoff/)

> [No one who lives in error is free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/no-one-who-lives-in-error-is-free/)

[Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/)

> [It's hard enough to find an error in your code when you're looking for it; it's even harder when you've assumed your code is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-mcconnell/it-s-hard-enough-to-find-an-error-in-your-code-when-you-re-looking/)

[Steve McConnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-mcconnell/)

> [Success tends to go not to the person who is error-free, because he also tends to be risk-averse. Rather it goes to the person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/success-tends-to-go-not-to-the-person-who-is-error-free-because-he/)

[Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/)

> [A thing may in itself be the finest piece of writing one has ever done, and yet have absolutely no place in the manuscript…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-forche/a-thing-may-in-itself-be-the-finest-piece-of-writing-one-has-ever/)

[Carolyn Forche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-forche/)

> [There is never finality in the display terminal's screen, but an irresponsible whimsicality, as words, sentences, and paragraphs are negated at the touch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-never-finality-in-the-display-terminal-s-screen-but-an/)

[Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/)

> [“Thanks to Karen Connelly who read earlier versions of this manuscript and to Ronald Hatch my editor and publisher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-holmes/thanks-to-karen-connelly-who-read-earlier-versions-of-this-manuscript/)

[Nancy Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-holmes/)

> [When I began writing in the mid-1960s, I thought it was not important for readers to know whether I was male or female. Also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/when-i-began-writing-in-the-mid-1960s-i-thought-it-was-not-important/)

[E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/)

> [ “\[I\]n the long run it's worthwhile to see the manuscript as a text capable of improvement.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sjoholm/i-n-the-long-run-it-s-worthwhile-to-see-the-manuscript-as-a-text/)

[Barbara Sjoholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sjoholm/)

> [“There is no loss bigger than losing your manuscript, not even love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-chhabra/there-is-no-loss-bigger-than-losing-your-manuscript-not-even-love/)

[Himanshu Chhabra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-chhabra/)

> [I began writing 'Matterhorn' in 1975 and for more than 30 years I kept working on my novel in my spare time, unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/i-began-writing-matterhorn-in-1975-and-for-more-than-30-years-i-kept/)

[Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/)

> [To me, all the juice of a book is in an unpublished manuscript, and the published book is like a dead tree - just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/to-me-all-the-juice-of-a-book-is-in-an-unpublished-manuscript-and-the/)

[Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/)

> [“Ben ducked beneath the arbor and paused by the fishpond when a memory crept upon him like a shadow. This was the spot where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/ben-ducked-beneath-the-arbor-and-paused-by-the-fishpond-when-a-memory/)

[Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/)

## More Manuscript quotes

> [A thing may in itself be the finest piece of writing one has ever done, and yet have absolutely no place in the manuscript…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-forche/a-thing-may-in-itself-be-the-finest-piece-of-writing-one-has-ever/)

[Carolyn Forche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-forche/)

> [To me, all the juice of a book is in an unpublished manuscript, and the published book is like a dead tree - just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/to-me-all-the-juice-of-a-book-is-in-an-unpublished-manuscript-and-the/)

[Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/)

> [I began writing 'Matterhorn' in 1975 and for more than 30 years I kept working on my novel in my spare time, unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/i-began-writing-matterhorn-in-1975-and-for-more-than-30-years-i-kept/)

[Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/)

> [“There is no loss bigger than losing your manuscript, not even love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himanshu-chhabra/there-is-no-loss-bigger-than-losing-your-manuscript-not-even-love/)

[Himanshu Chhabra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/himanshu-chhabra/)

> [ “\[I\]n the long run it's worthwhile to see the manuscript as a text capable of improvement.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-sjoholm/i-n-the-long-run-it-s-worthwhile-to-see-the-manuscript-as-a-text/)

[Barbara Sjoholm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-sjoholm/)

> [There is never finality in the display terminal's screen, but an irresponsible whimsicality, as words, sentences, and paragraphs are negated at the touch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-never-finality-in-the-display-terminal-s-screen-but-an/)

[Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/)

> [“Ben ducked beneath the arbor and paused by the fishpond when a memory crept upon him like a shadow. This was the spot where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/ben-ducked-beneath-the-arbor-and-paused-by-the-fishpond-when-a-memory/)

[Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/)

> [“Thanks to Karen Connelly who read earlier versions of this manuscript and to Ronald Hatch my editor and publisher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-holmes/thanks-to-karen-connelly-who-read-earlier-versions-of-this-manuscript/)

[Nancy Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-holmes/)

> [When I began writing in the mid-1960s, I thought it was not important for readers to know whether I was male or female. Also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-konigsburg/when-i-began-writing-in-the-mid-1960s-i-thought-it-was-not-important/)

[E. L. Konigsburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-konigsburg/)

> [Traditional publishers require an author to submit a manuscript six months in advance, and if pressed, no later than two or three.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/traditional-publishers-require-an-author-to-submit-a-manuscript-six/)

[Heather Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brooke/)

> [And, finally, Lincoln was not a good impromptu speaker; he was at his best when he could read from a carefully prepared manuscript. Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-herbert-donald/and-finally-lincoln-was-not-a-good-impromptu-speaker-he-was-at-his/)

[David Herbert Donald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-herbert-donald/)

> [Would you please publish the enclosed manuscript or return it without delay, as I have other irons in the fire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elinor-glyn/would-you-please-publish-the-enclosed-manuscript-or-return-it-without/)

[Elinor Glyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elinor-glyn/)

> [You should be writing for the love of the story, and when it comes time to return to the manuscript, everything else belongs behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-koryta/you-should-be-writing-for-the-love-of-the-story-and-when-it-comes/)

[Michael Koryta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-koryta/)

> [I love all of my children equally, all of my printed books, and each one bears a special piece of me. But the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-berry/i-love-all-of-my-children-equally-all-of-my-printed-books-and-each/)

[Steve Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-berry/)

> [With a computer, you make your changes on the screen and then you print out a clean copy. With a typewriter, you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/with-a-computer-you-make-your-changes-on-the-screen-and-then-you/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

[Browse all 79 Manuscript quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manuscript/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Trying to achieve an error-free manuscript is almost like trying to fly to the moon on a paper airplane.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jon Michael Riley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-michael-riley/trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscript-is-almost-like-trying-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Manuscript"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-michael-riley/trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscript-is-almost-like-trying-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/jon-michael-riley-249953_manuscript_trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscri_3226743.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/jon-michael-riley-249953_manuscript_trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscri_3226743.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26a/jon-michael-riley-249953_manuscript_trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscri_3226743.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Trying to achieve an error-free manuscript is almost like trying to fly to the moon on a paper airplane.” — Jon Michael Riley",
                "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 Michael Riley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-michael-riley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Trying to achieve an error-free manuscript...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-michael-riley/trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscript-is-almost-like-trying-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-michael-riley/trying-to-achieve-an-error-free-manuscript-is-almost-like-trying-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```