--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The perfectionist is bound to be a…" description: "\"The perfectionist is bound to be a neurotic, he cannot enjoy life, until he is perfect. And perfection as such never happens, it is not in the nature o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/rajneesh-54_bounds_the-perfectionist-is-bound-to-be-a-neuro_2446982.jpg" --- # The perfectionist is bound to be a neurotic, he cannot… ![“The perfectionist is bound to be a neurotic, he cannot enjoy life, until he is perfect. And perfection as such never happens, it is not in the nature of things. Totality is possible, perfection is not possible.” quote by Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/rajneesh-54_bounds_the-perfectionist-is-bound-to-be-a-neuro_2446982.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/rajneesh-54_bounds_the-perfectionist-is-bound-to-be-a-neuro_2446982.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/rajneesh-54_bounds_the-perfectionist-is-bound-to-be-a-neuro_2446982.jpg) > “The perfectionist is bound to be a neurotic, he cannot enjoy life, until he is perfect. And perfection as such never happens, it is not in the nature of things. Totality is possible, perfection is not possible.” [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perfectionism breeds neuroticism; accepting imperfection leads to wholeness. **In simple terms:** Perfectionism prevents enjoyment; accept imperfection. Key Takeaway Embrace totality, not perfection. Themes philosophy spirituality mental health Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - creative work - relationships - personal growth Key Concepts perfectionism neuroticism wholeness Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance striving with acceptance? - What practices help you let go of perfection? A Different Perspective Striving for perfection can cause chronic dissatisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Enjoy life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Neurotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neurotic/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Perfectionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionist/) ## Related quotes > [“Perfection may not be possible, but striving for excellence is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/perfection-may-not-be-possible-but-striving-for-excellence-is/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [“Perfection only happens when one has both faith and gnosis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karim-el-koussa/perfection-only-happens-when-one-has-both-faith-and-gnosis/) Karim El Koussa > [ \[Perfection\] is only possible if the mind of man is changed, if he, of his own sweet will, changes his mind; and the great… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/perfection-is-only-possible-if-the-mind-of-man-is-changed-if-he-of/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Do not confuse excellence with perfection. The first is possible to achieve, the second is probably not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/do-not-confuse-excellence-with-perfection-the-first-is-possible-to/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [The mistake is to imagine that perfection is possible when the very idea is unthinkable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luis-figo/the-mistake-is-to-imagine-that-perfection-is-possible-when-the-very/) [Luis Figo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luis-figo/) > [Of all religious systems, Islam alone declares that individual perfection is possible in our earthly existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-asad/of-all-religious-systems-islam-alone-declares-that-individual/) [Muhammad Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-asad/) > [I don't think perfection is possible. I think you can attempt to reach perfection, but I don't think it's a possible thing. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-rees/i-don-t-think-perfection-is-possible-i-think-you-can-attempt-to-reach/) [Roger Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-rees/) > [“before perfection (assuming perfection is even possible), you must first have process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-a-barnes/before-perfection-assuming-perfection-is-even-possible-you-must-first/) [Jeffrey A. Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-a-barnes/) > [Because our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, are perfect, our dearest aspiration is to become like Them and eventually achieve the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecil-o-samuelson/because-our-father-in-heaven-and-his-son-jesus-christ-are-perfect-our/) [Cecil O. Samuelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecil-o-samuelson/) > [Really, I'm a neurotic perfectionist. Every single word in the script is the one that I want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/really-i-m-a-neurotic-perfectionist-every-single-word-in-the-script/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [People are falling in love because a certain man has a certain type of nose. People are falling in love with fragments! Nobody is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/people-are-falling-in-love-because-a-certain-man-has-a-certain-type/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Whatsoever you are doing, be absorbed in it so utterly that the mind thinks nothing, is just there, is just a presence. And more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/whatsoever-you-are-doing-be-absorbed-in-it-so-utterly-that-the-mind/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Don't choose. Accept life as it is in its totality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/don-t-choose-accept-life-as-it-is-in-its-totality/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Don't hanker for the other world. Live this world, and live it with intensity, with passion. Live it with totality, with your whole being.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/don-t-hanker-for-the-other-world-live-this-world-and-live-it-with/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [There is a tremendous desire and longing for love, but love needs great awareness. Only then can it reach its highest climax -- and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/there-is-a-tremendous-desire-and-longing-for-love-but-love-needs/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## More by Rajneesh > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The greatest mystery in life is not life itself, but death. Death is the culmination of life, the ultimate blossoming of life. In death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-greatest-mystery-in-life-is-not-life-itself-but-death-death-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [This mind is a prison. It cannot find any freedom anywhere. It must die before freedom comes to you. But we have taken the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/this-mind-is-a-prison-it-cannot-find-any-freedom-anywhere-it-must-die/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Money should not be in the hands of individuals; otherwise it will create this problem of being burdened with guilt. And money can make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/money-should-not-be-in-the-hands-of-individuals-otherwise-it-will/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Marriage is going to disappear, should disappear. And now the point is coming in the history of humanity where it becomes possible that marriage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/marriage-is-going-to-disappear-should-disappear-and-now-the-point-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A mature mind is one who understands the impossibility of knowing the ultimate, and with this understanding there is a new dimension: the dimension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/a-mature-mind-is-one-who-understands-the-impossibility-of-knowing-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The word religion comes from an origin which means "coming together." But priesthood has been doing just the opposite, it has created splits in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-word-religion-comes-from-an-origin-which-means-coming-together/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Love and laughter go together; and laughter is one of the greatest medicines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/love-and-laughter-go-together-and-laughter-is-one-of-the-greatest/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [There are people who want to become rich; they become rich. If you persist you can fulfill any kind of stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/there-are-people-who-want-to-become-rich-they-become-rich-if-you/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Just take one thing out and the whole palace, the whole edifice of the human mind collapses. Take effort out of it and desiring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/just-take-one-thing-out-and-the-whole-palace-the-whole-edifice-of-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [To me, man means awareness of death. I am not saying become afraid of death; that is not awareness. Just be aware of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/to-me-man-means-awareness-of-death-i-am-not-saying-become-afraid-of/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [So your life becomes a vital celebration, your relationship becomes a festive thing. Whatsoever you do, every moment is a festival. You eat, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-your-life-becomes-a-vital-celebration-your-relationship-becomes-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > ["Serenity" is the flavor of meditation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/serenity-is-the-flavor-of-meditation/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) [Explore all 1,885 Rajneesh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) ## More Bounds quotes > [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/) [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [If the civil magistrate be a Christian, a disciple or follower of the meek Lamb of God, he is bound to be far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/if-the-civil-magistrate-be-a-christian-a-disciple-or-follower-of-the/) [Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/) > [We have committed ourselves to pursue joint policies, but then national governments say, "We aren't bound by that." That is a dramatic situation, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/we-have-committed-ourselves-to-pursue-joint-policies-but-then/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [Christian obligation cannot be made to accord with a law of expediency. The Christian's maxims are, Do right because you are bound to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-landey-patton/christian-obligation-cannot-be-made-to-accord-with-a-law-of/) Francis Landey Patton > [Such as the chain of causes we call Fate, such is the chain of wishes: one links on to another; the whole man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/such-as-the-chain-of-causes-we-call-fate-such-is-the-chain-of-wishes/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > ['You spin in the sky, the world spins under you, and you step from land to land, while we . . .' She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/you-spin-in-the-sky-the-world-spins-under-you-and-you-step-from-land/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/) [Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/) > [It is only when our life proceeds within bounds and in an accepted, disciplined way, that the mind can be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinoba-bhave/it-is-only-when-our-life-proceeds-within-bounds-and-in-an-accepted/) [Vinoba Bhave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinoba-bhave/) > [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. 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