--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mr. Freeman: You are getting better at…" description: "\"Mr. Freeman: You are getting better at this, but it's not good enough. This looks like a tree,but it is an average, ordinary, everyday, boring tree. Br..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/laurie-halse-anderson-623_average_mr-freeman-you-are-getting-better-at-thi_1137322.png" --- # Mr. Freeman: You are getting better at this, but it's not… ![“Mr. Freeman: You are getting better at this, but it's not good enough. This looks like a tree,but it is an average, ordinary, everyday, boring tree. Breathe life into it. Make it bend - trees are flexible, so they don't snap. Scar it, give it a twisted branch - perfect trees don't exist. Nothing…” quote by Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/laurie-halse-anderson-623_average_mr-freeman-you-are-getting-better-at-thi_1137322.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/laurie-halse-anderson-623_average_mr-freeman-you-are-getting-better-at-thi_1137322.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59f/laurie-halse-anderson-623_average_mr-freeman-you-are-getting-better-at-thi_1137322.png) > “Mr. Freeman: You are getting better at this, but it's not good enough. This looks like a tree,but it is an average, ordinary, everyday, boring tree. Breathe life into it. Make it bend - trees are flexible, so they don't snap. Scar it, give it a twisted branch - perfect trees don't exist. Nothing is perfect. Flaws are interesting. Be the tree.” [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perfection is unattainable; embracing flaws and flexibility creates interesting, resilient work. **In simple terms:** Flaws make things interesting; be flexible. Key Takeaway Accept imperfection and adapt creatively. Themes creativity resilience imperfection Mood encouraging reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - writing - design - problem solving - personal development Key Concepts growth mindset artistic expression Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn a perceived flaw into a strength? - What does flexibility mean in your work? A Different Perspective Some may view flaws as weaknesses, hindering acceptance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Everyday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everyday/) [Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Getting better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-better/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Good enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-enough/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nothing is perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing-is-perfect/) [Scar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scar/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [“Make it bend — trees are flexible, so they don’t snap. Scar it, give it a twisted branch — perfect trees don’t exist. Nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/make-it-bend-trees-are-flexible-so-they-don-t-snap-scar-it-give-it-a/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I thought that we were all like trees, flexible youths, saplings, who grow up heavy and stiff, spread seeds and get chopped down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-mccorkle/i-thought-that-we-were-all-like-trees-flexible-youths-saplings-who/) [Jill McCorkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-mccorkle/) > [Nothing is perfect. Flaws are interesting. Be the tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/nothing-is-perfect-flaws-are-interesting-be-the-tree/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [We gather perfect fruit from perfect trees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/we-gather-perfect-fruit-from-perfect-trees/) [Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/) > [“In nature, nothing is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways and they're still beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/in-nature-nothing-is-perfect-trees-can-be-contorted-bent-in-weird/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they're still beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/in-nature-nothing-is-perfect-and-everything-is-perfect-trees-can-be/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Nothing is perfect...We're really more interested in what we're saying than how we're saying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-young/nothing-is-perfect-we-re-really-more-interested-in-what-we-re-saying/) [Neil Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-young/) > [It is failure that guides evolution; perfection provides no incentive for improvement, and nothing is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colson-whitehead/it-is-failure-that-guides-evolution-perfection-provides-no-incentive/) [Colson Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colson-whitehead/) > [Ask anyone who has been in a love relationship for a while: nothing is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-mcmillan/ask-anyone-who-has-been-in-a-love-relationship-for-a-while-nothing-is/) [Tracy McMillan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-mcmillan/) > [Nothing is perfect. 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He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louie-giglio/life-isn-t-perfect-and-that-s-the-kind-of-world-where-jesus-showed-up/) [Louie Giglio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louie-giglio/) > [You can use your idealism to further your aims, if you realize that nothing is Nirvana, nothing is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/you-can-use-your-idealism-to-further-your-aims-if-you-realize-that/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [When you put a halo on concepts - gender roles, religion, nationality or pride - or you put a halo on any topic -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/when-you-put-a-halo-on-concepts-gender-roles-religion-nationality-or/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) > [What I think I've learned is that you're never going to get it all right, and you can't obsess about having a fact wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/what-i-think-i-ve-learned-is-that-you-re-never-going-to-get-it-all/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) ## More by Laurie Halse Anderson > [“The word ghost sounds like memory. The word therapy means exorcism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/the-word-ghost-sounds-like-memory-the-word-therapy-means-exorcism/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/censorship-is-the-child-of-fear-and-the-father-of-ignorance/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“I have this halfway place, a rest stop on the road to sleep, where I can stay for hours. I don't even need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-have-this-halfway-place-a-rest-stop-on-the-road-to-sleep-where-i/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I can see us, living in the woods, her wearing that A, me with a S maybe, S for silent, S for stupid, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-can-see-us-living-in-the-woods-her-wearing-that-a-me-with-a-s-maybe/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Eating plain toast will detonate her. "I'll have some honey." When the bread is done I scrape on a microscopic layer of it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/eating-plain-toast-will-detonate-her-i-ll-have-some-honey-when-the/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Cutting pain was a different flavor of hurt. 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My feet felt rooted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/leaning-against-my-father-the-sadness-finally-broke-open-inside-me/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I like cheeseburgers too much to be a model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-like-cheeseburgers-too-much-to-be-a-model/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I am getting better at smiling when people expect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-am-getting-better-at-smiling-when-people-expect-it/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. 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