--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Don't be a perfectionist, because…" description: "\"Don't be a perfectionist, because perfectionists often spend too much time on little differences at the margins at the expense of other big, important ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/ray-dalio-299_bigs_don-t-be-a-perfectionist-because-perfect_1562124.jpg" --- # Don't be a perfectionist, because perfectionists often… ![“Don't be a perfectionist, because perfectionists often spend too much time on little differences at the margins at the expense of other big, important things. Be an effective imperfectionist. Solutions that broadly work well (e.g., how people should contact each other in the event of crises) are…” quote by Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/ray-dalio-299_bigs_don-t-be-a-perfectionist-because-perfect_1562124.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/ray-dalio-299_bigs_don-t-be-a-perfectionist-because-perfect_1562124.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/104/ray-dalio-299_bigs_don-t-be-a-perfectionist-because-perfect_1562124.jpg) > “Don't be a perfectionist, because perfectionists often spend too much time on little differences at the margins at the expense of other big, important things. Be an effective imperfectionist. Solutions that broadly work well (e.g., how people should contact each other in the event of crises) are generally better than highly specialized solutions (e.g., how each person should contact each other in the event of every conceivable crisis).” [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Perfectionism wastes time on minor details; embracing useful imperfection yields broader, more effective solutions. **In simple terms:** Avoid over‑fixating on tiny flaws. Key Takeaway Prioritize impact over exactness. Themes productivity decision‑making efficiency Mood analytical pragmatic Type business philosophical When to use this quote - project planning - crisis response - policy design Key Concepts systems thinking trade‑offs risk management Questions to Reflect On - What small detail could be essential? - When is perfection necessary? A Different Perspective Over‑generalization can miss critical nuances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Contact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contact/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Differences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/differences/) [Effective Imperfectionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effective-imperfectionist-5862105/) [Events](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/events/) [Expenses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expenses/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Imperfectionist Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfectionist-solutions-5862106/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [Margins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margins/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/) [Perfectionist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionist/) [Perfectionist Perfectionists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionist-perfectionists-3653046/) [Perfectionists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfectionists/) [Personal growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-growth/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Solutions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solutions/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [I'm not a perfectionist at all. I find perfectionists boring because the real creative heart is in the mess somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-morrissey/i-m-not-a-perfectionist-at-all-i-find-perfectionists-boring-because/) [David Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-morrissey/) > [“Be an imperfectionist. Perfectionists spend too much time on little differences at the margins at the expense of the important things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/be-an-imperfectionist-perfectionists-spend-too-much-time-on-little/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Perfectionists are not all negative, miserable, unhappy and over controlling individuals”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/asa-don-brown/perfectionists-are-not-all-negative-miserable-unhappy-and-over/) [Asa Don Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/asa-don-brown/) > [“Good-bad problems are major destroyers. People who can’t reconcile either their own or anyone else’s faults suffer tremendous isolation because they are unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/good-bad-problems-are-major-destroyers-people-who-can-t-reconcile/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [Perfectionists are their own devils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kirby/perfectionists-are-their-own-devils/) [Jack Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kirby/) > [My fine friends who are perfectionists, each in their own world where they are petty dictators, could write a perfect bill. Those of us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/my-fine-friends-who-are-perfectionists-each-in-their-own-world-where/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [We don't think of ourselves as being perfectionists, really. To us it's more about desperately trying to have it sound more or less OK.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-fagen/we-don-t-think-of-ourselves-as-being-perfectionists-really-to-us-it-s/) [Donald Fagen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-fagen/) > [Workaholics don't actually accomplish more than nonworkaholics. They may claim to be perfectionists, but that just mean they're wasting time fixating on inconsequential details…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/workaholics-don-t-actually-accomplish-more-than-nonworkaholics-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are perfectionists. We are hungry to work all the time. We are entertained by every aspect of business and we never want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-welch/we-are-perfectionists-we-are-hungry-to-work-all-the-time-we-are/) [Suzy Welch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-welch/) > [I reckon there's always a bit of pressure. We put it on ourselves, I think we always feel a bit of pressure because people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cheney/i-reckon-there-s-always-a-bit-of-pressure-we-put-it-on-ourselves-i/) [Chris Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cheney/) > [Reaching for the stars, perfectionists may end up clutching at air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/reaching-for-the-stars-perfectionists-may-end-up-clutching-at-air/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) > [A lot of actors are perfectionists, besides merely being egotists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-mabius/a-lot-of-actors-are-perfectionists-besides-merely-being-egotists/) [Eric Mabius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-mabius/) > [I had no idea what I was walking into, and the years and years of hard work it would take. I felt like an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/i-had-no-idea-what-i-was-walking-into-and-the-years-and-years-of-hard/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Perfectionists demand perfection from themselves first and foremost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/perfectionists-demand-perfection-from-themselves-first-and-foremost/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Golf is not, on the whole, a game for realists. By its exactitudes of measurements it invites the attention of perfectionists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heywood-hale-broun/golf-is-not-on-the-whole-a-game-for-realists-by-its-exactitudes-of/) [Heywood Hale Broun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heywood-hale-broun/) ## More by Ray Dalio > [“Slow down your thinking so you can note the criteria you are using to make your decision. 2. Write the criteria down as a principle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/slow-down-your-thinking-so-you-can-note-the-criteria-you-are-using-to/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Having a process that ensures problems are brought to the surface, and their root causes diagnosed, assures that continual improvements occur.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/having-a-process-that-ensures-problems-are-brought-to-the-surface-and/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“If you can’t successfully do something, don’t think you can tell others how it should be done”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/if-you-can-t-successfully-do-something-don-t-think-you-can-tell/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Remember that a good plan should resemble a movie script.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/remember-that-a-good-plan-should-resemble-a-movie-script/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“I believe that the key to success lies in knowing how to both strive for a lot and fail well. By failing well, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-believe-that-the-key-to-success-lies-in-knowing-how-to-both-strive/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I'm scared of one man, one vote because it suggests that everybody has an equal ability at making decisions, and I think that's dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-m-scared-of-one-man-one-vote-because-it-suggests-that-everybody-has/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“A manager’s ability to recognize when outcomes are inconsistent with goals and then modify designs and assemble people to rectify them makes all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/a-manager-s-ability-to-recognize-when-outcomes-are-inconsistent-with/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“So I learned to be radically open-minded to allow others to point out what I might be missing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/so-i-learned-to-be-radically-open-minded-to-allow-others-to-point-out/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“During those terrible days after 9/11, when the whole country was being whipsawed by emotion, or the weeks between September 19 and October 10,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/during-those-terrible-days-after-9-11-when-the-whole-country-was/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“is more effective to train that subconscious, emotional you the same way you would teach a child to behave”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/is-more-effective-to-train-that-subconscious-emotional-you-the-same/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [I think that the first thing is you should have a strategic asset allocation mix that assumes that you don't know what the future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/i-think-that-the-first-thing-is-you-should-have-a-strategic-asset/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Life is like a game where you seek to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving your goals. You get better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/life-is-like-a-game-where-you-seek-to-overcome-the-obstacles-that/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“when we look down on ourselves through the eyes of nature we are of absolutely no significance. It is a reality that each one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/when-we-look-down-on-ourselves-through-the-eyes-of-nature-we-are-of/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Great questions are a much better indicator of future success than great answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/great-questions-are-a-much-better-indicator-of-future-success-than/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [“Georgi Plekhanov’s classic On the Role of the Individual in History.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/georgi-plekhanov-s-classic-on-the-role-of-the-individual-in-history/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) [Explore all 716 Ray Dalio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) [Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Don't be a perfectionist, because perfectionists often spend too much time on little differences at the margins at the expense of other big, important things. 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