--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No matter how much you try to maintain…" description: "\"“No matter how much you try to maintain order in your life, no matter how careful you are to guard against mistakes, against imperfections, there is al..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/tess-gerritsen-3102_failure_no-matter-how-much-you-try-to-maintain-o_3222262.png" --- # No matter how much you try to maintain order in your life… ![“No matter how much you try to maintain order in your life, no matter how careful you are to guard against mistakes, against imperfections, there is always some smudge, some flaw, lurking out of sight. Waiting to surprise you.” quote by Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/tess-gerritsen-3102_failure_no-matter-how-much-you-try-to-maintain-o_3222262.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/tess-gerritsen-3102_failure_no-matter-how-much-you-try-to-maintain-o_3222262.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d2d/tess-gerritsen-3102_failure_no-matter-how-much-you-try-to-maintain-o_3222262.png) > ““No matter how much you try to maintain order in your life, no matter how careful you are to guard against mistakes, against imperfections, there is always some smudge, some flaw, lurking out of sight. Waiting to surprise you.”” [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even meticulous planning cannot eliminate hidden flaws that eventually surface. **In simple terms:** Mistakes are inevitable. Key Takeaway Accept imperfection and stay vigilant. Themes imperfection uncertainty resilience Mood reflective cautionary Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal planning - project management - healthcare Key Concepts human error complex systems Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance preparation with flexibility? - What signs indicate a hidden flaw? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on control can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Flaws](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flaws/) [Imperfections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfections/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) ## Related quotes > [I love your mistakes and imperfections. Because if you had bandage all over your body,I wouldn't be able to see you. But one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zira/i-love-your-mistakes-and-imperfections-because-if-you-had-bandage-all/) Zira > [“I am full of mistakes and imperfections and therefore I am real ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-hick/i-am-full-of-mistakes-and-imperfections-and-therefore-i-am-real/) [Shaun Hick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-hick/) > [“No matter how careful you are"..."there's always going to be a mess, and you're going to have to clean it up afterward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/no-matter-how-careful-you-are-there-s-always-going-to-be-a-mess-and/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [I'm not made out of glass. Glass breaks easily no matter how careful you are. I'm made out of a finest bamboo. You can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-claire-dogillo/i-m-not-made-out-of-glass-glass-breaks-easily-no-matter-how-careful/) Mae Claire Dogillo > [“We must always have order in this house. Everything has a time and a purpose. If we maintain order..." "We never leave chaos an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/we-must-always-have-order-in-this-house-everything-has-a-time-and-a/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [Anytime you get nine people together, whether it's at a party or it's in the conference room of the Supreme Court, you do have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-roberts/anytime-you-get-nine-people-together-whether-it-s-at-a-party-or-it-s/) [John Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-roberts/) > [I want you. All of you. Your flaws. Your mistakes. Your imperfections. I want you, and only you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-you-all-of-you-your-flaws-your-mistakes-your-imperfections-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is the business of a general to be quiet and thus ensure secrecy; upright and just, and thus maintain order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-business-of-a-general-to-be-quiet-and-thus-ensure-secrecy/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [“Like our bodies, our minds are also flawed. And, as in the case of the body, the flaws in our minds might also not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-michel-hansen/like-our-bodies-our-minds-are-also-flawed-and-as-in-the-case-of-the/) Jean-Michel Hansen > [“God can turn your biggest flaws into your biggest cause.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/god-can-turn-your-biggest-flaws-into-your-biggest-cause/) [Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/) > [“If we learn to love someone for their imperfections that reflect our own, we eventually thought that even the most beautiful things are damaged”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-an/if-we-learn-to-love-someone-for-their-imperfections-that-reflect-our/) [Nicola An](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-an/) > [Putting up walls that are see through, where you can see all my imperfections and flaws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/putting-up-walls-that-are-see-through-where-you-can-see-all-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I saw you before. All your flaws, your imperfections. Your body’s going to a lot of trouble to hide something, something inside of you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-hick/i-saw-you-before-all-your-flaws-your-imperfections-your-body-s-going/) [Shaun Hick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-hick/) > [“Only apes and robots chase after perfection, humans cherish imperfection as a sign of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/only-apes-and-robots-chase-after-perfection-humans-cherish/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“If you're anything like me, You bite your nails, And laugh when you're nervous. You promise people the world, because that's what they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/if-you-re-anything-like-me-you-bite-your-nails-and-laugh-when-you-re/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) ## More by Tess Gerritsen > [There is honor between bitches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/there-is-honor-between-bitches/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Had she always been so insulated from human contact, like a bloom encased in frost?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/had-she-always-been-so-insulated-from-human-contact-like-a-bloom/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Fans are always asking me where I get my ideas from. The answer is that I'm very curious, and I get inspiration from everywhere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/fans-are-always-asking-me-where-i-get-my-ideas-from-the-answer-is/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [After twelve years of living in Hawaii, I'd gotten a serious case of 'rock fever.' I just couldn't live on an island any longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/after-twelve-years-of-living-in-hawaii-i-d-gotten-a-serious-case-of/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [The best heroes in the world are the reluctant ones. Courage isn't fearlessness - it's acting in the face of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-best-heroes-in-the-world-are-the-reluctant-ones-courage-isn-t/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“If you don't love him, if you don't even care about him, then seeing him now shouldn't be all that painful. Should it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/if-you-don-t-love-him-if-you-don-t-even-care-about-him-then-seeing/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“My name is Mila, and this is my journey. There are so many places where I could begin the story. I could start in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/my-name-is-mila-and-this-is-my-journey-there-are-so-many-places-where/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Now we sit and wait,” the woman said, and she settled into a chair, the gun on her lap. “What are we waiting for?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/now-we-sit-and-wait-the-woman-said-and-she-settled-into-a-chair-the/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [The Christmas tree, twinkling with lights, had a mountain of gifts piled up beneath it, like offerings to the great god of excess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/the-christmas-tree-twinkling-with-lights-had-a-mountain-of-gifts/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Because I never plan anything out ahead of time, I'm always in the process of learning about my characters. Without a biographical sketch to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/because-i-never-plan-anything-out-ahead-of-time-i-m-always-in-the/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [When you're a fifty-year-old woman, no one really bothers to look at you anymore, much less value your opinion. It's hard on the old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/when-you-re-a-fifty-year-old-woman-no-one-really-bothers-to-look-at/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Mom and I often talked about the trip we'd someday take together to the 'city of eternal spring' where she was born. In Kunming,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/mom-and-i-often-talked-about-the-trip-we-d-someday-take-together-to/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“But human anatomy and human endurance are variable. While the much younger nun had succumbed to her injuries, Ursula's heart kept beating, her body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/but-human-anatomy-and-human-endurance-are-variable-while-the-much/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [Where we go depends on what we know, and what we know depends on where we go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/where-we-go-depends-on-what-we-know-and-what-we-know-depends-on-where/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Some people make choices hoping for the best; Korsak had made a choice simply to avoid the worst.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/some-people-make-choices-hoping-for-the-best-korsak-had-made-a-choice/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) [Explore all 134 Tess Gerritsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“No matter how much you try to maintain order in your life, no matter how careful you are to guard against mistakes, against imperfections, there is always some smudge, some flaw, lurking out of sight. 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