---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: he never finished any of the works he…"
description: "\"“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things that to others seemed miracles.”..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/walter-isaacson-384_art_he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-be_10398.png"
---

#  he never finished any of the works he began because, so…

![“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things that to others seemed miracles.” quote by Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/walter-isaacson-384_art_he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-be_10398.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/walter-isaacson-384_art_he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-be_10398.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/walter-isaacson-384_art_he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-be_10398.png)

> ““he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things that to others seemed miracles.””

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker laments that his lofty artistic standards cause him to perceive flaws in works that others admire, preventing completion.

**In simple terms:** Perfectionism blocks creation.

Key Takeaway

High standards can hinder productivity.

Themes

perfectionism artistic standards self-criticism creativity self-doubt

Mood

frustrated reflective determined

Type

philosophical cautionary inspirational

When to use this quote

- artist struggling with drafts
- writer abandoning manuscripts
- designer rejecting prototypes
- musician doubting compositions

Key Concepts

self-awareness critical judgment creative paralysis

Practical Applications

- creative coaching
- mindset workshops

Questions to Reflect On

- How can one balance high standards with progress?
- What practices help recognize when a work is 'good enough'?

A Different Perspective

Perfectionism can also drive refinement and excellence when balanced.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Miracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracles/)

## Related quotes

> [“All these things are miracles. It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lemony-snicket/all-these-things-are-miracles-it-is-a-miracle-if-you-can-find-true/)

[Lemony Snicket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lemony-snicket/)

> [It is a measure of the Negro's circumstance that, in America, the smallest things usually take him so very long, and that, by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-kempton/it-is-a-measure-of-the-negro-s-circumstance-that-in-america-the/)

[Murray Kempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-kempton/)

> [Miracles arise from conviction. Be convicted about these things: Miracles can happen. Miracles do happen. Love makes them happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/miracles-arise-from-conviction-be-convicted-about-these-things/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [What's wrong with this world is, it's not finished yet. It is not completed to that point where man can put his final signature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-s-wrong-with-this-world-is-it-s-not-finished-yet-it-is-not/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [“To great writers, finished works weigh lighter than those fragments on which they work throughout their lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/to-great-writers-finished-works-weigh-lighter-than-those-fragments-on-2/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [I consider drawings finished works of art, first of all. However, the ideas can be something that can be developed into something larger. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-consider-drawings-finished-works-of-art-first-of-all-however-the/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [It's important to see the work of as many directors as possible but you must not become self-conscious. You have to accept that your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-ivory/it-s-important-to-see-the-work-of-as-many-directors-as-possible-but/)

[James Ivory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-ivory/)

> [The drawings that I show - the drawings that I present to people are finished works in themselves. They're meant to be thought of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/the-drawings-that-i-show-the-drawings-that-i-present-to-people-are/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [“to great writers, finished works weigh lighter than those fragments on which they labor their entire lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/to-great-writers-finished-works-weigh-lighter-than-those-fragments-on/)

[Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/)

> [We artists give daily thanks for the miracle of our planet and for the inclination and the capability to honour it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/we-artists-give-daily-thanks-for-the-miracle-of-our-planet-and-for/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [“Monsters are divine portents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davidson/monsters-are-divine-portents/)

[Andrew Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davidson/)

> [“Symbols are miracles we have recorded into language.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-kelley-harrell/symbols-are-miracles-we-have-recorded-into-language/)

[S. Kelley Harrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-kelley-harrell/)

> [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/)

[Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [“As I do not seem able much to heal, then maybe I can simply be a responsible witness to the miracle of the ordinary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-barry/as-i-do-not-seem-able-much-to-heal-then-maybe-i-can-simply-be-a/)

[Sebastian Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-barry/)

## More by Walter Isaacson

> [He had the attitude that he could do anything, and therefore so can you. He put his life in my hands. So that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-had-the-attitude-that-he-could-do-anything-and-therefore-so-can/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [But the point is to get a whole new generation of people and people in general more re-engaged in news, and this has happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/but-the-point-is-to-get-a-whole-new-generation-of-people-and-people/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“There was never a good knife made of bad steel ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-never-a-good-knife-made-of-bad-steel/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Jobs's intensity was also evident in his ability to focus. He would set priorities, aim his laser attention on them, and filter out distractions.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/jobs-s-intensity-was-also-evident-in-his-ability-to-focus-he-would/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Atop the brochure McKenna put a maxim, often attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, that would become the defining precept of Jobs’s design philosophy: “Simplicity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/atop-the-brochure-mckenna-put-a-maxim-often-attributed-to-leonardo-da/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“The company began attracting influential new investors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-company-began-attracting-influential-new-investors/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“You have to remain critically vigilant.” Question every premise, challenge conventional wisdom, and never accept the truth of something merely because everyone else views…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/you-have-to-remain-critically-vigilant-question-every-premise/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“in 1996, bought NeXT, bringing Jobs back. BILL ATKINSON. Early Apple employee, developed graphics for the Macintosh. CHRISANN BRENNAN. Jobs’s girlfriend at Homestead High,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/in-1996-bought-next-bringing-jobs-back-bill-atkinson-early-apple/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“The last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/the-last-time-there-was-this-much-excitement-about-a-tablet-it-had/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“If you want to live your life in a creative way, as an artist, you have to not look back too much. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/if-you-want-to-live-your-life-in-a-creative-way-as-an-artist-you-have/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“There was a key lesson for innovation: Understand which industries are symbiotic so that you can capitalize on how they will spur each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/there-was-a-key-lesson-for-innovation-understand-which-industries-are/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“CEO Gil Amelio stumbled. Ellison may have been baffled when Jobs insisted that he was not motivated by money, but it was partly true.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/ceo-gil-amelio-stumbled-ellison-may-have-been-baffled-when-jobs/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“Once a year Jobs took his most valuable employees on a retreat, which he called " The Top 100." They were picked based on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/once-a-year-jobs-took-his-most-valuable-employees-on-a-retreat-which/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [“An object will display the greatest difference of light and shade when it is seen in the strongest light. . . . But this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/an-object-will-display-the-greatest-difference-of-light-and-shade/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

> [A popular feel for scientific endeavors should, if possible, be restored given the needs of the twenty-first century. This does not mean that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/a-popular-feel-for-scientific-endeavors-should-if-possible-be/)

[Walter Isaacson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

[Explore all 593 Walter Isaacson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in the things that to others seemed miracles.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Walter Isaacson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/walter-isaacson-384_art_he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-be_10398.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/walter-isaacson-384_art_he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-be_10398.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f6c/walter-isaacson-384_art_he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-be_10398.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“he never finished any of the works he began because, so sublime was his idea of art, he saw faults even in…” — Walter Isaacson",
                "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": "Walter Isaacson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-isaacson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“he never finished any of the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-isaacson/he-never-finished-any-of-the-works-he-began-because-so-sublime-was/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
