--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you are under the impression you have…" description: "\"If you are under the impression you have already perfected yourself, you will never rise to the heights you are no doubt capable of.\" — Kazuo Ishiguro" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_capable_if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have_647605.jpg" --- # If you are under the impression you have already perfected… ![“If you are under the impression you have already perfected yourself, you will never rise to the heights you are no doubt capable of.” quote by Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_capable_if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have_647605.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_capable_if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have_647605.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_capable_if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have_647605.jpg) > “If you are under the impression you have already perfected yourself, you will never rise to the heights you are no doubt capable of.” [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing you are already perfect prevents further development and reaching your true potential. **In simple terms:** Perfectionism blocks growth. Key Takeaway Stay humble and keep learning. Themes self-improvement humility potential Mood motivational cautionary Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - career advancement - skill development - personal goals Key Concepts fixed mindset growth mindset self-awareness Questions to Reflect On - What areas of your life need further growth? - How do you measure true potential? A Different Perspective Overconfidence can lead to complacency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Heights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heights/) ## Related quotes > [If a man cannot feel the power of God when he looks upon the stars, then I doubt whether he is capable of any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/if-a-man-cannot-feel-the-power-of-god-when-he-looks-upon-the-stars/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [“Ut haec ipsa qui non sentiat deorum vim habere is nihil omnino sensurus esse videatur." If any man cannot feel the power of God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/ut-haec-ipsa-qui-non-sentiat-deorum-vim-habere-is-nihil-omnino/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [My heaviness comes from the heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/my-heaviness-comes-from-the-heights/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [I love heights. I love speed. Im on the verge of being a pyromaniac. Maybe my phobia is boredom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/i-love-heights-i-love-speed-im-on-the-verge-of-being-a-pyromaniac/) [Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/) > [Sometimes it felt like her life was a series of falls from ever-greater heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/sometimes-it-felt-like-her-life-was-a-series-of-falls-from-ever/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [The other day, I was walking my dog around my building . . . on the ledge. Some people are afraid of heights. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/the-other-day-i-was-walking-my-dog-around-my-building-on-the-ledge/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > ['Summer Heights High' is one of my favourite shows of all time. I'm obsessed. I re-watch it all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-heatherton/summer-heights-high-is-one-of-my-favourite-shows-of-all-time-i-m/) [Erin Heatherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-heatherton/) > [I'm glad nobody has asked me to adapt 'Wuthering Heights' because I think I would make a mess of it. Everybody makes a mess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/i-m-glad-nobody-has-asked-me-to-adapt-wuthering-heights-because-i/) [Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/) > [I have a fear of heights and I'm claustrophobic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kunal-nayyar/i-have-a-fear-of-heights-and-i-m-claustrophobic/) [Kunal Nayyar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kunal-nayyar/) > [I'm terrible at heights. I hate it. I'm glad I'm only 5'7".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-galifianakis/i-m-terrible-at-heights-i-hate-it-i-m-glad-i-m-only-5-7/) [Zach Galifianakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-galifianakis/) > [If suffer we must, let's suffer on the heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/if-suffer-we-must-let-s-suffer-on-the-heights/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I'm still pretty terrified of heights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-bell/i-m-still-pretty-terrified-of-heights/) [Jamie Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-bell/) > [I'm terrified of heights, but I think there's something really beautiful about birds and soaring, having a bird's-eye view of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-booth/i-m-terrified-of-heights-but-i-think-there-s-something-really/) [Lindy Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-booth/) > [“She was afraid of heights but she was much more afraid of never flying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atticus-poetry/she-was-afraid-of-heights-but-she-was-much-more-afraid-of-never-flying/) [Atticus Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atticus-poetry/) > [“you are going to find that the heights you’ve attained make for a long fall if you don’t understand the mountain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-sakey/you-are-going-to-find-that-the-heights-you-ve-attained-make-for-a/) [Marcus Sakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-sakey/) ## More by Kazuo Ishiguro > [The evening's the best part of the day. You've done your day's work. Now you can put your feet up and enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/the-evening-s-the-best-part-of-the-day-you-ve-done-your-day-s-work/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [As a writer, I'm more interested in what people tell themselves happened rather than what actually happened.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/as-a-writer-i-m-more-interested-in-what-people-tell-themselves/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“About him and his wife voting for different parties. A few years ago that would have been unthinkable.” “No doubt.” “Quite extraordinary the things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/about-him-and-his-wife-voting-for-different-parties-a-few-years-ago/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“But what is the sense in forever speculating what might have happened had such and such a moment turned out differently? One could presumably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-what-is-the-sense-in-forever-speculating-what-might-have-happened/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“Silence is just as likely to indicate the most profound ideas forming, the deepest energies being summoned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/silence-is-just-as-likely-to-indicate-the-most-profound-ideas-forming/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [“I don't know why, but it didn't seem an option for more than one of us to storm off, and I wanted to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-didn-t-seem-an-option-for-more-than-one-of-us/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [Our family arrived in England in 1960. At that time I thought the war was ancient history. 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By the very nature of a witticism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/but-this-small-episode-is-as-good-an-illustration-as-any-of-the/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [There comes a point when you can more or less count the number of books you're going to write before you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/there-comes-a-point-when-you-can-more-or-less-count-the-number-of/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) > [My wife is the most savage critic. She doesn't feel intimidated by my reputation. As far as she's concerned, she's just criticising a boyfriend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/my-wife-is-the-most-savage-critic-she-doesn-t-feel-intimidated-by-my/) [Kazuo Ishiguro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) [Explore all 292 Kazuo Ishiguro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/) ## More Capable quotes > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [Everybody is different. Some writers can write reams of great books and then J. D. Salinger wrote just a few. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/everybody-is-different-some-writers-can-write-reams-of-great-books/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [People are capable of great, great change during the span of one lifetime. And women even more than men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/people-are-capable-of-great-great-change-during-the-span-of-one/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [When you lived it for years and years and years and seen different characters just get pummeled and squashed because 'I said so,' it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-you-lived-it-for-years-and-years-and-years-and-seen-different/) [Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-outside-of-being-a-sweet-little-girl-she-was-awfully-dumb-and/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/) [Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/) > [Not everyone is capable of madness; and of those lucky enough to be capable, not many have the courage for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/not-everyone-is-capable-of-madness-and-of-those-lucky-enough-to-be/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [ \[The Community's\] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-guerin/the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give-me-confidence-but-i-derive-my/) [Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-guerin/) > [The mathematical facts worthy of being studied are those which, by their analogy with other facts, are capable of leading us to the knowledge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-poincare/the-mathematical-facts-worthy-of-being-studied-are-those-which-by/) [Henri Poincare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-poincare/) > [“If you not yet try How to know you can or not?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sopharat/if-you-not-yet-try-how-to-know-you-can-or-not/) Sopharat > [I'm attracted to the garden, without a doubt, but I always try and image the wolf that's there, too. And that wolf would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-light/i-m-attracted-to-the-garden-without-a-doubt-but-i-always-try-and/) [Michael Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-light/) > [A man, as a man, could arrive at all the dignity that a man was capable of obtaining or receiving; but it needed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor/a-man-as-a-man-could-arrive-at-all-the-dignity-that-a-man-was-capable/) [John Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor/) > [Playing is much, much harder than composing in my opinion, becoming a player. If you want to be a player for all your life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-powell/playing-is-much-much-harder-than-composing-in-my-opinion-becoming-a/) [John Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-powell/) > [How difficult the task to quench the fire and the pride of private ambition, and to sacrifice ourselves and all our hopes and expectations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-adams/how-difficult-the-task-to-quench-the-fire-and-the-pride-of-private/) [Abigail Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-adams/) Browse all 3,861 Capable quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you are under the impression you have already perfected yourself, you will never rise to the heights you are no doubt capable of.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kazuo Ishiguro" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have-already-perfected-yourself/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Capable" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have-already-perfected-yourself/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_capable_if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have_647605.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_capable_if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have_647605.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c5/kazuo-ishiguro-1029_capable_if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have_647605.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you are under the impression you have already perfected yourself, you will never rise to the heights you…” — Kazuo Ishiguro", "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": "Kazuo Ishiguro", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kazuo-ishiguro/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you are under the impression...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have-already-perfected-yourself/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuo-ishiguro/if-you-are-under-the-impression-you-have-already-perfected-yourself/#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 } } ] } ```