Idiom
let the perfect be the enemy of the good
Meaning
To insist on the total realization of a goal and reject any compromise, thereby decreasing the chance of achieving even a part of that goal.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Finish your report now; do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“We need to launch the website today, so please stop editing and do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
“While the architect desired a flawless masterpiece, he eventually realized he must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good if he wanted to complete the project on time.”
Examples
simple
“Finish your report now; do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
contextual
“We need to launch the website today, so please stop editing and do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
complex
“While the architect desired a flawless masterpiece, he eventually realized he must not let the perfect be the enemy of the good if he wanted to complete the project on time.”
Key words
Related idioms
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