---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We will never have a perfect world, but…"
description: "\"We will never have a perfect world, but it's not romantic or naive to work toward a better one.\" — Steven Pinker"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/248/steven-pinker-526_a-perfect-world_we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-i_2661132.jpg"
---

#  We will never have a perfect world, but it's not romantic…

![“We will never have a perfect world, but it's not romantic or naive to work toward a better one.” quote by Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/248/steven-pinker-526_a-perfect-world_we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-i_2661132.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/248/steven-pinker-526_a-perfect-world_we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-i_2661132.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/248/steven-pinker-526_a-perfect-world_we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-i_2661132.jpg)

> “We will never have a perfect world, but it's not romantic or naive to work toward a better one.”

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

## About This Quote

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

Striving for a better world is worthwhile, despite imperfection and idealism.

**In simple terms:** Work toward improvement, not perfection.

Key Takeaway

Pursue progress, accept imperfection.

Themes

progress optimism realism

Mood

hopeful practical

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- policy reform
- community projects
- personal development

Key Concepts

philosophy social science

Questions to Reflect On

- What incremental changes can you make?
- How do you balance hope and realism?

A Different Perspective

Idealism can overlook practical limits.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[A perfect world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/a-perfect-world/) [Naive Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/naive-work-2428665/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Perfect world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-world/) [Romantic Naive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/romantic-naive-2428664/) [Work Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-better/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Romantic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-romantic-2428666/)

## Related quotes

> [“I know most people today would regard such love of country as ridiculously romantic and naïve,” he said. “Patriotism itself has been hijacked by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-simonson/i-know-most-people-today-would-regard-such-love-of-country-as/)

[Helen Simonson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-simonson/)

> [We all want to be carried away to a whole other world and have romantic tendencies about escaping to an exotic place and being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lotte-verbeek/we-all-want-to-be-carried-away-to-a-whole-other-world-and-have/)

[Lotte Verbeek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lotte-verbeek/)

> [“We’re great friends. We run a kickass business together. But I don’t think we’ve ever set the standard for world’s most romantic couple,” he’d”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarina-bowen/we-re-great-friends-we-run-a-kickass-business-together-but-i-don-t/)

[Sarina Bowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarina-bowen/)

> [I find the film world very romantic. I want to try to be in more movies. When you're on a TV show and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-levy/i-find-the-film-world-very-romantic-i-want-to-try-to-be-in-more/)

[Jane Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-levy/)

> [Our lives are marked and shaped by our regrets. Things we all want to take back and can’t. In a perfect world, we would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/our-lives-are-marked-and-shaped-by-our-regrets-things-we-all-want-to/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [Inside the snow globe on my father's desk, there was a penguin wearing a red-and-white-striped scarf. When I was little my father would pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/inside-the-snow-globe-on-my-father-s-desk-there-was-a-penguin-wearing/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [Nothing has to be changed, because all is beautiful - that is enlightenment. All is as it should be, everything is perfect. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/nothing-has-to-be-changed-because-all-is-beautiful-that-is/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [In a perfect world, I could be doing some bigger films and balance that with some independent films because they seem to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/in-a-perfect-world-i-could-be-doing-some-bigger-films-and-balance/)

[Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/)

> [I'm friends with everybody, I love everybody. I trust everybody because they don't give me reasons not to you know what I'm saying? So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christofer-drew/i-m-friends-with-everybody-i-love-everybody-i-trust-everybody-because/)

[Christofer Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christofer-drew/)

> [Anything and everything at any given time is sort of the point I think. We're dealing in real situations and that's why we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-dushku/anything-and-everything-at-any-given-time-is-sort-of-the-point-i/)

[Eliza Dushku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-dushku/)

> [In a perfect world, my tennis game gets better. I have kids and a beautiful wife and live on some hill somewhere that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/in-a-perfect-world-my-tennis-game-gets-better-i-have-kids-and-a/)

[Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/)

> [In a perfect world we don't want to be overly dependent on any single asset or be so dependent on the cycle or where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-packer/in-a-perfect-world-we-don-t-want-to-be-overly-dependent-on-any-single/)

[James Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-packer/)

> [I think every musician is different, every artist is different, and in a perfect world people would be able to pursue their own path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-haines/i-think-every-musician-is-different-every-artist-is-different-and-in/)

[Emily Haines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-haines/)

> [So that's one of the reasons why we took time between the last one and this one, was to make sure that we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burk/so-that-s-one-of-the-reasons-why-we-took-time-between-the-last-one/)

[Bryan Burk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burk/)

> [Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal. I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/even-in-a-perfect-world-where-everyone-was-equal-i-d-still-own-the/)

[Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/)

## More by Steven Pinker

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [As many political writers have pointed out, commitment to political equality is not an empirical claim that people are clones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/as-many-political-writers-have-pointed-out-commitment-to-political/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Since violence is largely a male pastime, cultures that empower women tend to move away from the glorification of violence and are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/since-violence-is-largely-a-male-pastime-cultures-that-empower-women/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/morality-is-not-just-any-old-topic-in-psychology-but-close-to-our/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Part of the bargain of being alive is that one takes a chance at dying a premature or painful death, be it from violence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/part-of-the-bargain-of-being-alive-is-that-one-takes-a-chance-at/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [If you look in general at people who live in anarchy, they have quite high rates of death from either homicide or warfare or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-you-look-in-general-at-people-who-live-in-anarchy-they-have-quite/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“In some eras, self-control defines the paragon of a decent person: a grown-up, a person of dignity, a lady or a gentleman, a mensch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-some-eras-self-control-defines-the-paragon-of-a-decent-person-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Knowledge is a continuous fabric, in which ideas are connected to other ideas. Reason-free zones, in which people can assert arbitrary beliefs safe from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/knowledge-is-a-continuous-fabric-in-which-ideas-are-connected-to/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Explore all 495 Steven Pinker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

## More A perfect world quotes

> [Even in a perfect world where everyone was equal. I'd still own the film rights and be working on the sequel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/even-in-a-perfect-world-where-everyone-was-equal-i-d-still-own-the/)

[Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/)

> [So that's one of the reasons why we took time between the last one and this one, was to make sure that we could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-burk/so-that-s-one-of-the-reasons-why-we-took-time-between-the-last-one/)

[Bryan Burk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-burk/)

> [I think every musician is different, every artist is different, and in a perfect world people would be able to pursue their own path…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-haines/i-think-every-musician-is-different-every-artist-is-different-and-in/)

[Emily Haines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-haines/)

> [In a perfect world we don't want to be overly dependent on any single asset or be so dependent on the cycle or where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-packer/in-a-perfect-world-we-don-t-want-to-be-overly-dependent-on-any-single/)

[James Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-packer/)

> [The world can be better if there's love, tolerance and humility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irena-sendler/the-world-can-be-better-if-there-s-love-tolerance-and-humility/)

[Irena Sendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irena-sendler/)

> [In a perfect world, my tennis game gets better. I have kids and a beautiful wife and live on some hill somewhere that's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-perry/in-a-perfect-world-my-tennis-game-gets-better-i-have-kids-and-a/)

[Matthew Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-perry/)

> [Anything and everything at any given time is sort of the point I think. We're dealing in real situations and that's why we have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliza-dushku/anything-and-everything-at-any-given-time-is-sort-of-the-point-i/)

[Eliza Dushku](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliza-dushku/)

> [I'm friends with everybody, I love everybody. I trust everybody because they don't give me reasons not to you know what I'm saying? So,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christofer-drew/i-m-friends-with-everybody-i-love-everybody-i-trust-everybody-because/)

[Christofer Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christofer-drew/)

> [In a perfect world, I could be doing some bigger films and balance that with some independent films because they seem to be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherilyn-fenn/in-a-perfect-world-i-could-be-doing-some-bigger-films-and-balance/)

[Sherilyn Fenn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherilyn-fenn/)

> [Nothing has to be changed, because all is beautiful - that is enlightenment. All is as it should be, everything is perfect. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/nothing-has-to-be-changed-because-all-is-beautiful-that-is/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [Inside the snow globe on my father's desk, there was a penguin wearing a red-and-white-striped scarf. When I was little my father would pull…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/inside-the-snow-globe-on-my-father-s-desk-there-was-a-penguin-wearing/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [Our lives are marked and shaped by our regrets. Things we all want to take back and can’t. In a perfect world, we would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/our-lives-are-marked-and-shaped-by-our-regrets-things-we-all-want-to/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [“Zackary Connor's office building was made of glass, endless windows giving the impression of being outside. It was exactly how I liked nature--air conditioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-hanson/zackary-connor-s-office-building-was-made-of-glass-endless-windows/)

[Caroline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-hanson/)

> [In a perfect world, everybody would be gay. I mean if everybody looked like Zach Braff, you just wouldn't be able to resist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/in-a-perfect-world-everybody-would-be-gay-i-mean-if-everybody-looked/)

[Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/)

> [ In a perfect world, I don't think it \[one's sexual orientation\] is anyone else's business, but I do think there is value in standing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-cooper/in-a-perfect-world-i-don-t-think-it-one-s-sexual-orientation-is/)

[Anderson Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-cooper/)

[Browse all 122 A perfect world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/a-perfect-world/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We will never have a perfect world, but it's not romantic or naive to work toward a better one.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Steven Pinker"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-it-s-not-romantic-or-naive-to/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "A perfect world"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-it-s-not-romantic-or-naive-to/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/248/steven-pinker-526_a-perfect-world_we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-i_2661132.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/248/steven-pinker-526_a-perfect-world_we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-i_2661132.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/248/steven-pinker-526_a-perfect-world_we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-i_2661132.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We will never have a perfect world, but it's not romantic or naive to work toward a better one.” — Steven Pinker",
                "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": "Steven Pinker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We will never have a perfect...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-it-s-not-romantic-or-naive-to/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/we-will-never-have-a-perfect-world-but-it-s-not-romantic-or-naive-to/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
