Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people. It will keep you cramped and insane your whole life, and it is the main obstacle between you and a shitty first draft. I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that a lot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it. β¨ Anne Lamott (2007). Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, p.28, Anchor
More Author Quotes
- Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor. β¨ Anne Lamott (2007). Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, p.28, Anchor
- There are moments when I am writing when I think that if other people knew how I felt right now, theyβd burn me at the stake for feeling so good, so full, so much intense pleasure. β¨ Anne Lamott (200 β¦ βΆ
- If something inside of you is real, we will probably find it interesting, and it will probably be universal. So you must risk placing real emotion at the center of your work. Write straight into the β¦ βΆ
- Her purse was a weight, ballast; it tethered her to the earth as her mind floated away. β¨ Anne Lamott (2006). Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith, p.49, Penguin
- [S]he believed that the Buddhists were rightβthat if you want, you will suffer; if you love, you will grieve. (68) β¨ Anne Lamott (1997). Crooked Little Heart, Pantheon
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