---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every attempt we make is imperfect; yet…"
description: "\"Every attempt we make is imperfect; yet each one of those imperfect attempts is an occasion for a delight unlike anything else on earth.\" — Stephen Nac..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/stephen-nachmanovitch-10483_delight_every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-e_450684.png"
---

#  Every attempt we make is imperfect; yet each one of those…

![“Every attempt we make is imperfect; yet each one of those imperfect attempts is an occasion for a delight unlike anything else on earth.” quote by Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/stephen-nachmanovitch-10483_delight_every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-e_450684.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/stephen-nachmanovitch-10483_delight_every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-e_450684.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/stephen-nachmanovitch-10483_delight_every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-e_450684.png)

> “Every attempt we make is imperfect; yet each one of those imperfect attempts is an occasion for a delight unlike anything else on earth.”

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Imperfect attempts still bring unique joy, highlighting the value of effort despite flaws.

**In simple terms:** Flawed attempts can be joyful.

Key Takeaway

Embrace imperfection and seek delight.

Themes

creativity joy imperfection

Mood

reflective optimistic

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- artistic practice
- learning new skills
- personal development
- overcoming fear of failure

Key Concepts

mindfulness growth resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you find delight in your imperfect work?
- What habits help you appreciate effort over outcome?

A Different Perspective

Joy may be fleeting if not cultivated.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Delight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Occasions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/occasions/) [Perfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfection/)

## Related quotes

> [I love this world because it is imperfect. It is imperfect, and that's why it is growing; if it was perfect it would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-this-world-because-it-is-imperfect-it-is-imperfect-and-that-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Drop the veneer periodically and be like "OK, I'm an imperfect human. Let's try to get through this."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/drop-the-veneer-periodically-and-be-like-ok-i-m-an-imperfect-human/)

[Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/)

> [You have been taught that there is something wrong with you and that you are imperfect, but there isn't and you're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheri-huber/you-have-been-taught-that-there-is-something-wrong-with-you-and-that/)

[Cheri Huber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheri-huber/)

> [The day we find the perfect church, it becomes imperfect the moment we join it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-day-we-find-the-perfect-church-it-becomes-imperfect-the-moment-we/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [He felt safe with her. He'd never been safe with another human being, not since he'd been taken as a child from his home.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-feehan/he-felt-safe-with-her-he-d-never-been-safe-with-another-human-being/)

[Christine Feehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-feehan/)

> [Trusting people to be creative and constructive when given more freedom does not imply an overly optimistic belief in the perfectibility of human nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/trusting-people-to-be-creative-and-constructive-when-given-more/)

[Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/)

> [I wish I was the girl with the perfect hair and flawless face..but wait... that's pretty much like a barbie... plastic and fake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goon-mariaa/i-wish-i-was-the-girl-with-the-perfect-hair-and-flawless-face-but/)

Goon\_Mariaa

> [“When God broke his deal with me, I turned to the Devil. In the end, I wasn't happy. I realized that the imagination of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-suggs/when-god-broke-his-deal-with-me-i-turned-to-the-devil-in-the-end-i/)

[Lionel Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-suggs/)

> [In the light of absolute values (religious or ethical) man himself is judged to be limited or imperfect, while he can occasionally accomplish acts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-e-hulme/in-the-light-of-absolute-values-religious-or-ethical-man-himself-is/)

[T. E. Hulme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-e-hulme/)

> [the most terribly human moments - the ones we want to pretend never happened - are the very moments that make us who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/the-most-terribly-human-moments-the-ones-we-want-to-pretend-never/)

[Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/)

> [Look, don't judge Christianity by the imperfect examples that we have seen in history. Judge it by Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-smith/look-don-t-judge-christianity-by-the-imperfect-examples-that-we-have/)

[Chuck Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-smith/)

> [I'm an imperfect messenger, but the message is perfect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-m-an-imperfect-messenger-but-the-message-is-perfect/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [The process of putting intangible thoughts into an imperfect system of notation - which is difficult enough, depending on your ideas - acquaints you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-andre-hamelin/the-process-of-putting-intangible-thoughts-into-an-imperfect-system/)

[Marc-Andre Hamelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-andre-hamelin/)

> [Laugh at every mistakes and realize that no one is perfect. We are human. All of us are imperfect, so there's no point judging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laugh-at-every-mistakes-and-realize-that-no-one-is-perfect-we-are/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You know why you're not perfect? You do everything perfectly and you think you are perfect, but the mere fact that you think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-why-you-re-not-perfect-you-do-everything-perfectly-and-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Stephen Nachmanovitch

> [Improvisation is intuition in action, a way to discover the muse and learn to respond to her call.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/improvisation-is-intuition-in-action-a-way-to-discover-the-muse-and/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Writing, playing, composing, painting, reading, listening, looking-all require that we submit to being swept away by Eros, to a transformation of self of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/writing-playing-composing-painting-reading-listening-looking-all/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Play cannot be defined, because in play all definitions slither, dance, combine, break apart, and recombine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/play-cannot-be-defined-because-in-play-all-definitions-slither-dance/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Play enables us to rearrange our capacities and our very identity so that they can be used in unforeseen ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/play-enables-us-to-rearrange-our-capacities-and-our-very-identity-so/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [If we are transparent, with nothing to hide, the gap between language and being disappears. Then the Muse can speak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/if-we-are-transparent-with-nothing-to-hide-the-gap-between-language/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Many musicians are fabulously skilled at playing the black dots on the printed page, but mystified by how the dots got there in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/many-musicians-are-fabulously-skilled-at-playing-the-black-dots-on/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [In the art of teaching, we recognize that ideas and insights need to cook over a period of time. Sometimes the student who is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/in-the-art-of-teaching-we-recognize-that-ideas-and-insights-need-to/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Every moment of life is unique-a kiss, a sunset, a dance, a joke. None will ever recur in quite the same way. Each happens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/every-moment-of-life-is-unique-a-kiss-a-sunset-a-dance-a-joke-none/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [An improviser does not operate from a formless vacuum, but from three billion years of organic evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/an-improviser-does-not-operate-from-a-formless-vacuum-but-from-three/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Creative work is play. It is free speculation using materials of ones chosen form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/creative-work-is-play-it-is-free-speculation-using-materials-of-ones/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Brahms once remarked that the mark of an artist is how much he throws away. Nature, the great creator, is always throwing things away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/brahms-once-remarked-that-the-mark-of-an-artist-is-how-much-he-throws/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [If the art is created with the whole person, then the work will come out whole. Education must teach, reach, and vibrate the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/if-the-art-is-created-with-the-whole-person-then-the-work-will-come/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Play, creativity, art, spontaneity, all these experiences are their own rewards and are blocked when we perform for reward or punishment, profit or loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/play-creativity-art-spontaneity-all-these-experiences-are-their-own/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Technique itself springs from play, because we can acquire technique only by the practice of practice, by persistently experimenting and playing with our tools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/technique-itself-springs-from-play-because-we-can-acquire-technique/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

> [Working within the limits of the medium forces us to change our own limits. Improvisation is not breaking with forms and limitations just to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/working-within-the-limits-of-the-medium-forces-us-to-change-our-own/)

[Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

[Explore all 64 Stephen Nachmanovitch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/)

## More Delight quotes

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I cannot deny that I would've liked to have made babies with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/shhh-he-put-a-finger-to-her-lips-hear-me-out-i-cannot-deny-that-i/)

[Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/)

> [There is a spirit which I feel that delights to do no evil, nor to revenge any wrong, but delights to endure all things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nayler/there-is-a-spirit-which-i-feel-that-delights-to-do-no-evil-nor-to/)

James Nayler

> [There was an Old Man of Messina, Whose daughter was named Opsibeena; She wore a small wig, and rode out on a pig, To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lear/there-was-an-old-man-of-messina-whose-daughter-was-named-opsibeena/)

[Edward Lear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lear/)

> [A real flame of love is a subtle thing. It burns as a will-o'-the-wisp, dancing onward to fairy lands of delight. It roars as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-dreiser/a-real-flame-of-love-is-a-subtle-thing-it-burns-as-a-will-o-the-wisp/)

[Theodore Dreiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-dreiser/)

> [“The gift of words, the source of enjoyment, the source of delight that comes within and the unfading beauty and energy of words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euginia-herlihy/the-gift-of-words-the-source-of-enjoyment-the-source-of-delight-that/)

[Euginia Herlihy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euginia-herlihy/)

> [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/)

[Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/)

> [All the world's bravery that delights our eyes is but thy several liveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-cowley/all-the-world-s-bravery-that-delights-our-eyes-is-but-thy-several/)

[Abraham Cowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-cowley/)

> [It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness - I’m so accustomed to my Fate - Perhaps the Other - Peace - Would interrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/it-might-be-lonelier-without-the-loneliness-i-m-so-accustomed-to-my/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [Design should do the same thing in everyday life that art does when encountered: amaze us, scare us or delight us, but certainly open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-betsky/design-should-do-the-same-thing-in-everyday-life-that-art-does-when/)

Aaron Betsky

> [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/)

[Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/)

> [Every natural power exhilarates; a true talent delights the possessor first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-natural-power-exhilarates-a-true-talent-delights-the-possessor/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [If we are to define science, ... it does not consist so much in knowing, nor even in "organized knowledge," as it does in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-sanders-peirce/if-we-are-to-define-science-it-does-not-consist-so-much-in-knowing/)

[Charles Sanders Peirce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-sanders-peirce/)

> [Significantly, God in Genesis 1 pronounces the rest of creation "good" before humanity is created. The psalmist and the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-clapp/significantly-god-in-genesis-1-pronounces-the-rest-of-creation-good/)

Rodney Clapp

> [Being asked to play 'The Doctor' is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-capaldi/being-asked-to-play-the-doctor-is-an-amazing-privilege-like-the/)

[Peter Capaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-capaldi/)

[Browse all 2,212 Delight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/delight/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every attempt we make is imperfect; yet each one of those imperfect attempts is an occasion for a delight unlike anything else on earth.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stephen Nachmanovitch"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-each-one-of-those-imperfect/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Delight"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-each-one-of-those-imperfect/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/stephen-nachmanovitch-10483_delight_every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-e_450684.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/stephen-nachmanovitch-10483_delight_every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-e_450684.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef6/stephen-nachmanovitch-10483_delight_every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-e_450684.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every attempt we make is imperfect; yet each one of those imperfect attempts is an occasion for a delight…” — Stephen Nachmanovitch",
                "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": "Stephen Nachmanovitch",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every attempt we make is imperfect;...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-each-one-of-those-imperfect/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/every-attempt-we-make-is-imperfect-yet-each-one-of-those-imperfect/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
