--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That sucks, though,\" Wes said finally…" description: "\"That sucks, though,\" Wes said finally, his voice low. \"You're just setting yourself up to fail, because you'll never get everything perfect.\" \"Says who..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sarah-dessen-110_deck_that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-v_2012828.jpg" --- # That sucks, though," Wes said finally, his voice low… ![“That sucks, though," Wes said finally, his voice low. "You're just setting yourself up to fail, because you'll never get everything perfect." "Says who?" He just looked at me. "The world," he said, gesturing all around us, as if this party, this deck encompassed it all. "The universe. There's just…” quote by Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sarah-dessen-110_deck_that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-v_2012828.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sarah-dessen-110_deck_that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-v_2012828.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sarah-dessen-110_deck_that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-v_2012828.jpg) > “That sucks, though," Wes said finally, his voice low. "You're just setting yourself up to fail, because you'll never get everything perfect." "Says who?" He just looked at me. "The world," he said, gesturing all around us, as if this party, this deck encompassed it all. "The universe. There's just no way. And why would you want everything to be perfect, anyway?" "I don't want everything to be perfect," I said. Just me, I thought. Somehow. "I just want—” [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage explores the tension between striving for perfection and accepting imperfection, suggesting that the pursuit of flawless outcomes can be self‑defeating. **In simple terms:** Perfectionism can hinder progress and cause anxiety. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfection. Themes perfectionism self‑doubt expectations growth mindset Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - creative work - personal goals - relationships - career planning Key Concepts psychology self‑help personal development Questions to Reflect On - What does “perfect” mean to you? - How can you balance ambition with realism? A Different Perspective Perfect outcomes are unattainable and may limit growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Party](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/party/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“When my dad died, it was like everything felt really shaky, you know? And trying to be the best I could be, it gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/when-my-dad-died-it-was-like-everything-felt-really-shaky-you-know/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Now, see," Wes said, nodding at my plate, "this is going to blow your mind." I looked at him. "It's a waffle, not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/now-see-wes-said-nodding-at-my-plate-this-is-going-to-blow-your-mind/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“No one loves like Nora loves,” Wes said. “I wish I knew how she did it, how she could love so hard and still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/no-one-loves-like-nora-loves-wes-said-i-wish-i-knew-how-she-did-it/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) > [“If you don’t fuck him, I will. Between the two of you, my day has been hell,” Wes said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizzy-ford/if-you-don-t-fuck-him-i-will-between-the-two-of-you-my-day-has-been/) [Lizzy Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizzy-ford/) > [“I love you, man. Do you really forgive me?” “If you hug me,” Wes said, “I’ll kill you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-brockmann/i-love-you-man-do-you-really-forgive-me-if-you-hug-me-wes-said-i-ll/) [Suzanne Brockmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-brockmann/) > [The clear and perfect truth no man has seen, nor will there be anyone who knows about the gods and what I say about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenophanes/the-clear-and-perfect-truth-no-man-has-seen-nor-will-there-be-anyone/) [Xenophanes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xenophanes/) > [“It was wonderful, Eddy. It was perfect.' 'No,' he says. 'But it will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-nicholson/it-was-wonderful-eddy-it-was-perfect-no-he-says-but-it-will-be/) [William Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-nicholson/) > [“You’re perfect,’ he says almost fiercely. ‘You don’t need to change one hair. One freckle. One little toe. And if it’s me that’s made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/you-re-perfect-he-says-almost-fiercely-you-don-t-need-to-change-one/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [You don't love someone because they're perfect," she says. "You love them in spite of the fact that they're not." I don't know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/you-don-t-love-someone-because-they-re-perfect-she-says-you-love-them-2/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [Who says you aren't perfect ? who says you are not pretty ? Who says you aren't beautiful ? Who says you don't worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatima-alaaeldin/who-says-you-aren-t-perfect-who-says-you-are-not-pretty-who-says-you/) [Fatima Alaaeldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatima-alaaeldin/) > [“You don't love someone because they're perfect,” she says. “You love them in spite of the fact that they're not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-love-someone-because-they-re-perfect-she-says-you-love-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You always try to be perfect, he says, and you always fall short, and it fucks with your head. Your confidence is shot, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-always-try-to-be-perfect-he-says-and-you-always-fall-short-and-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once, she'd been a pro at decompressing, loved to sit on the back deck of the beach house in one of our splintery Adirondack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/once-she-d-been-a-pro-at-decompressing-loved-to-sit-on-the-back-deck/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I think it is all about creating characters, mixing them up with the stars and the light-years, and coming back to Earth, because we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-clementine/i-think-it-is-all-about-creating-characters-mixing-them-up-with-the/) [Benjamin Clementine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-clementine/) > [The religious hypothesis, therefore, must be considered only as a particular method of accounting for the visible phenomena of the universe: but no just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-religious-hypothesis-therefore-must-be-considered-only-as-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) ## More by Sarah Dessen > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“if i were a book i would be so open”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/if-i-were-a-book-i-would-be-so-open/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Harder to get in than out, like so little else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/harder-to-get-in-than-out-like-so-little-else/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“At times, I found myself questioning his very existence, even though I knew I had, in fact, spotted him, with my own eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/at-times-i-found-myself-questioning-his-very-existence-even-though-i/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [You don't have to say it out loud. I already know why you like me.' 'You do, huh?' 'Yep.' He wrapped his arms around…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/you-don-t-have-to-say-it-out-loud-i-already-know-why-you-like-me-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [No relationship is perfect, ever. There are always some ways you have to bend, to compromise, to give something up in order to gain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/no-relationship-is-perfect-ever-there-are-always-some-ways-you-have/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [When you had to do something, you had to do it. And eventually, if you were lucky, you did it well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/when-you-had-to-do-something-you-had-to-do-it-and-eventually-if-you/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [the truth about forever is that it is happening right now](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/the-truth-about-forever-is-that-it-is-happening-right-now/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I jammed my hand in my jacket pocket, bracing myself fo the next hit, and fel something. Something grainy and samll, sticking to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-jammed-my-hand-in-my-jacket-pocket-bracing-myself-fo-the-next-hit/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I had no illusions about love anymore. It came, it went, it left casualties or it didn't. People weren't meant to be together forever,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-had-no-illusions-about-love-anymore-it-came-it-went-it-left/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“But maybe that isn't so bad. You can't love anyone that way more than once in a lifetime. It's too hard and it hurts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/but-maybe-that-isn-t-so-bad-you-can-t-love-anyone-that-way-more-than/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [This was just one night, one chance to vary and see where it took me. The fireflies were probably already out: maybe it wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-just-one-night-one-chance-to-vary-and-see-where-it-took-me/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [call it chicken salad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/call-it-chicken-salad/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“For me, however, it was a mix of the two, this constant push and pull. I loved it here. But I'd been in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/for-me-however-it-was-a-mix-of-the-two-this-constant-push-and-pull-i/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I think whenever a writer is really enjoying themselves and liking what they are doing, that shows on the page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-think-whenever-a-writer-is-really-enjoying-themselves-and-liking/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) [Explore all 1,251 Sarah Dessen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) ## More Deck quotes > [None of us have any control over the deck or the hand we've been dealt. What we do have is total responibility as to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-alten/none-of-us-have-any-control-over-the-deck-or-the-hand-we-ve-been/) [Steve Alten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-alten/) > [ This is the industry that wants \[music\], the rap industry. You have to be on deck all the time, but you do not have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-thug/this-is-the-industry-that-wants-music-the-rap-industry-you-have-to-be/) [Young Thug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-thug/) > [Well, we try to - we definitely try to have a balance. And I think things have gotten a lot better at Pixar. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-docter/well-we-try-to-we-definitely-try-to-have-a-balance-and-i-think-things/) [Pete Docter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-docter/) > [We're providing planning to a huge audience who's never had access to financial planners before. This was always my plan for LearnVest. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-von-tobel/we-re-providing-planning-to-a-huge-audience-who-s-never-had-access-to/) [Alexa Von Tobel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-von-tobel/) > [Scobe's Eighth Law: The moron will enter the single deck game when the count is sky high and the dealer is deciding whether or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-scoblete/scobe-s-eighth-law-the-moron-will-enter-the-single-deck-game-when-the/) [Frank Scoblete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-scoblete/) > [When people think about the ark, they're always thinking about all the thousands of years of religious iconography of a ship with a bow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-aronofsky/when-people-think-about-the-ark-they-re-always-thinking-about-all-the/) [Darren Aronofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-aronofsky/) > [The deck is still stacked in favor of those already at the top. And there's something wrong with that. There's something wrong when CEOs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/the-deck-is-still-stacked-in-favor-of-those-already-at-the-top-and/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [20-some years ago, I'd have a big old radio with a tape deck, and I'd hit record and try to get something down on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-chapin-carpenter/20-some-years-ago-i-d-have-a-big-old-radio-with-a-tape-deck-and-i-d/) [Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-chapin-carpenter/) > [This is a typical liberal trick, by the way: Stack the deck so the whole thing fails leaving only one option, the government to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/this-is-a-typical-liberal-trick-by-the-way-stack-the-deck-so-the/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [There's no place where one can breathe as freely as on the deck of a ship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-triolet/there-s-no-place-where-one-can-breathe-as-freely-as-on-the-deck-of-a/) [Elsa Triolet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elsa-triolet/) > [because wherever I sat—on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok—I would be sitting under the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/because-wherever-i-sat-on-the-deck-of-a-ship-or-at-a-street-caf-in/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [I love to get on tracks with brothers like Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, the GZA. The whole crew is golden, man. When you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raekwon/i-love-to-get-on-tracks-with-brothers-like-inspectah-deck-masta-killa/) [Raekwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raekwon/) > [Usually I try to be there by six. Everything has been taken off the walls so that there's nothing to arrest my sight. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/usually-i-try-to-be-there-by-six-everything-has-been-taken-off-the/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [Curran and I mixed about as well as glycerin and nitric acid: put us together, shake a bit, and hit the deck as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/curran-and-i-mixed-about-as-well-as-glycerin-and-nitric-acid-put-us/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [We must do business in great waters; we must be really on the deck in a storm, if we would see the works of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-must-do-business-in-great-waters-we-must-be-really-on-the-deck-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 294 Deck quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That sucks, though,\" Wes said finally, his voice low. \"You're just setting yourself up to fail, because you'll never get everything perfect.\" \"Says who?\" He just looked at me. \"The world,\" he said, gesturing all around us, as if this party, this deck encompassed it all. \"The universe. There's just no way. And why would you want everything to be perfect, anyway?\" \"I don't want everything to be perfect,\" I said. Just me, I thought. Somehow. \"I just want—", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Dessen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-voice-low-you-re-just-setting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deck" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-voice-low-you-re-just-setting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sarah-dessen-110_deck_that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-v_2012828.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sarah-dessen-110_deck_that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-v_2012828.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87d/sarah-dessen-110_deck_that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-v_2012828.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That sucks, though,\" Wes said finally, his voice low. \"You're just setting yourself up to fail, because…” — Sarah Dessen", "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": "Sarah Dessen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That sucks, though,\" Wes said finally,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-voice-low-you-re-just-setting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/that-sucks-though-wes-said-finally-his-voice-low-you-re-just-setting/#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 } } ] } ```