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Perfection Quotes

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Perfection Quotes

“You haven't yet opened your heart fully, to life, to each moment. The peaceful warrior's way is not about invulnerability, but absolute vulnerability--to the world, to life, and to the Presence you felt. All along I've shown you by example that a warrior's life is not about imagined perfection or victory; it is about love. Love is a warrior's sword; wherever it cuts, it gives life, not death.”

WorldWayGivingHeartMomentsLife IsFeltLove IsCuttingHavensExampleVictoryPerfectionAbsolutesPeacefulWarriorVulnerabilityWay Of The WarriorPeaceful WarriorInvulnerability
Book:Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book That Changes Lives
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“In all great works of fiction, regardless of the grim reality they present, there is an affirmation of life against the transience of that life, an essential defiance. This affirmation lies in the way the author takes control of reality by retelling it in his own way, thus creating a new world. Every great work of art, I would declare pompously, is a celebration, an act of insubordination against the betrayals, horrors and infidelities of life. The perfection and beauty of form rebels against the ugliness and shabbiness of the subject matter.”

WorldWayArtMatterRealityFormLyingFictionSubjectsHorrorEssentialsCreatingPerfectionBetrayalWorks Of ArtRebelNew WorldCelebrationInfidelityAffirmationUglinessGreat WorkDefianceSubject MatterGrimRetellingTake ControlTransienceTehranInsubordination
Author:Azar Nafisi
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“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, where knowledge is free. Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls. Where words come out from the depth of truth, where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection. Where the clear stream of reason has not lost it's way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit. Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever widening thought and action. In to that heaven of freedom, my father, LET MY COUNTRY AWAKE!”

WorldWayMindCountryReasonActionFatherLostHeavenClearBrokenWallArmsHabitPerfectionIndiaIndependenceStriveDepthTheeDesertIndianAwakeStreamsSandFragmentsIndependence DayDrearyThoughts And ActionsBroken UpRepublic DayIndependence And FreedomHappy Independence Day IndiaHappy Independence DayIndia Independence DayInspiring Independence DayIndian Independence DayIndependence Of ThoughtDesert Sand
Book:Gitanjali: Collection of Tagore Poems
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“To my taste, the men in Rome are ridiculously, hurtfully, stupidly beautiful. More beautiful even than Roman women, to be honest. Italian men are beautiful in the same way as French women, which is to say-- no detail spared in the quest for perfection. They’re like show poodles. Sometimes they look so good I want to applaud.”

MenWayWantLooksSometimesShowsBeautifulHonestTastePerfectionDetailsBeing HonestItalianRomeQuestsPoodlesFrench Woman
Book:The Complete Elizabeth Gilbert: Eat, Pray, Love; Committed; The Last American Man; Stern Men & Pilgrims
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“Now it seems to me that love of some kind is the only possible explanation of the extraordinary amount of suffering that there is in the world. I cannot conceive of any other explanation. I am convinced that there is no other, and that if the world has indeed, as I have said, been built of sorrow, it has been built by the hands of love, because in no other way could the soul of man, for whom the world was made, reach the full stature of its perfection. Pleasure for the beautiful body, but pain for the beautiful soul.”

IfsMenWorldWayKindHas BeensMadeSaidSoulBodyHandsSeemsPainBeautifulSufferingPleasureAmountSorrowBuiltPerfectionExtraordinaryConvincedExplanationStatureBeautiful SoulBeautiful Body
Book:The Collected Works of Oscar Wilde
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“There is no one way to salvation, whatever the manner in which a man may proceed. All forms and variations are governed by the eternal intelligence of the Universe that enables a man to approach perfection. It may be in the arts of music and painting or it may be in commerce, law, or medicine. It may be in the study of war or the study of peace. Each is as important as any other. Spiritual enlightenment through religious meditation such as Zen or in any other way is as viable and functional as any "Way."... A person should study as they see fit.”

MenWayShouldMayPersonsArtImportantWarSpiritualFormLawUniverseReligiousStudyMeditationPaintingFitEternalApproachEnlightenmentPerfectionSalvationMedicineOne WayCommerceVariationSpiritual Enlightenment
Author:Miyamoto Musashi
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“Nothing in the world is so soft and pleasing to the touch, as the skin of a woman's thigh. No flower, feather or fabric, can match that velvet whisper of flesh. No matter how unequal they may be in any other ways, all women, old and young, fat and thin, beautiful and ugly, have that perfection. It's a great part of the reason why men hunger to possess women, and so often convince themselves that they do possess them: the thigh, that touch.”

MenWorldWayMayMatterReasonBeautifulYoungFlowerPerfectionSkinsHungerUglyFleshFatsReason WhyConvinceFabricFeathersShantaramThighsVelvet
Author:Gregory David Roberts
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“Our sadness won’t be of the searing kind but more like a blend of joy and melancholy: joy at the perfection we see before us, melancholy at an awareness of how seldom we are sufficiently blessed to encounter anything of its kind. The flawless object throws into perspective the mediocrity that surrounds it. We are reminded of the way we would wish things always to be and of how incomplete our lives remain.”

WayKindJoyWishOur LivesSadnessAwarenessObjectsPerspectivePerfectionBlessedEncountersMelancholySurroundMediocrityIncompleteFlawless
Author:Alain de Botton
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“Ballet dancing is arduous, strenuous activity. Students are engaged in physical training that rivals the training Olympic athletes undergo. At the same time, they strive for physical perfection not for the prowess alone but as a way of achieving the means necessary to express the pure nature of their art.”

WayMeanArtAchieveStudentsPureActivityTrainingPerfectionDancingDanceStriveAthleteEngagedBalletRivalsProwessOlympic AthleteBallet DancingPhysical Training
Author:George Balanchine
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“Renounce and give up. What did Christ say? "He that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Again and again did he preach renunciation as the only way to perfection. There comes a time when the mind awakes from this long and dreary dream-the child gives up its play and wants to go back to its mother. Renunciation is not asceticism. Are all beggars Christ? Poverty is not a synonym for holiness; often the reverse.”

WayWantGivingMindChildrenLongPlayDreamMotherJesusChristPovertyGiving UpPerfectionSakeHolinessAgain And AgainReverseBeggarRenounceRenunciationDrearyThere Comes A TimeAsceticismSynonym
Book:Jnana Yoga: The Yoga of Knowledge
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“The pulpit and the optimist are always talking about the human race's steady march toward ultimate perfection. As usual, they leave out the statistics. It is the pulpit's way - the optimist's way.”

WayHumansRaceTalkingPerfectionUltimateOptimisticHuman RaceStatisticsMarchUsualSteadyOptimistPulpit
Book:The outrageous Mark Twain: some lesser-known but extraordinary works : with
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“It is probably no exaggeration to suppose that in order to improve such an organ as the eye at all, it must be improved in ten different ways at once. And the improbability of any complex organ being produced and brought to perfection in any such way is an improbability of the same kind and degree as that of producing a poem or a mathematical demonstration by throwing letters at random on a table.”

WayKindDifferentEyeScienceOrderTenDegreesPerfectionLettersMathematicsTablesComplexesMathematicalDifferent WaysThrowingOrgansDemonstrationExaggerationImprobability
Author:Joseph Murray
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“Integrity requires that I discern what is integral to my selfhood, what fits and what does not-and that I choose life-giving ways of relating to the forces that converge within me: Do I welcome them or fear them, embrace them or reject them, move with them or against them? By choosing integrity, I become more whole, but wholeness does not mean perfection. It means becoming more real by acknowledging the whole of who I am.”

WayGivingMeanDoeRealWholeMovingForceBecomingFitIntegrityPerfectionEmbraceWho I AmWelcomeRejectsWholenessBecoming MoreChoose LifeGiving Way
Book:The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life
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“Materialistic success can be explained quite simply. Those who succeed focus their attention on success - not on their talent. Remember these words! All of their efforts are focused toward the upward movement rather than the perfection of their artistic ability. Neither do they allow anyone to anything to stand in the way of reaching their goals. This includes wives, families, friends and their children. They are prepared to pay the very high price that success demands.”

WayChildrenRememberSpiritualGoalAbilityEffortPayAttentionFocusWifeTalentMovementSucceedDemandPerfectionPreparedFocusedArtisticReachingMaterialisticFamily FriendsHigh PricesArtistic Ability
Author:Brad Steiger
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“Heaven does nothing: its non-doing is its serenity. Earth does nothing: its non-doing is its rest. From the union of these two non-doings All actions proceed. All things are made. How vast, how invisible This coming-to-be! All things come from nowhere! How vast, how invisible No way to explain it! All beings in their perfection Are born of non-doing. Hence it is said: Heaven and earth do nothing Yet there is nothing they do not do. Where is the man who can attain To this non-doing?”

MenWayDoeMadeSaidTwoWisdomActionEarthSpiritualHeavenBornHe ManAll ThingsPerfectionUnionsInvisibleSerenityHeaven And EarthDoings
Author:Zhuangzi
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“We have the need to be accepted and to be loved by others, but we cannot accept and love ourselves. The more self-love we have, the less we will experience self-abuse. Self-abuse comes from self-rejection, and self-rejection comes from having an image of what it means to be perfect and never measuring up to that ideal. Our image of perfection is the reason we reject ourselves the way we are, and why we don't accept others the way they are.”

WayNeedsMeanSelfReasonMotivationalPerfectAcceptingSelf LoveIdealsPerfectionAnd LoveAbuseAcceptedRejectionRejectsMeasuringMeasuring Up
Author:Miguel Angel Ruiz
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“Perfection does not come in this life, but we exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and keep our covenants. President Monson has promised, "Your testimony, when constantly nourished, will keep you safe." We push our spiritual roots deep, feasting daily on the words of Christ in the scriptures. We trust in the words of living prophets, placed before us to show us the way. We pray and pray and listen to the quiet voice of the Holy Ghost that leads us along and speaks peace to our soul. Whatever challenges arise, we never, never leave Him.”

WayDoeSoulShowsSpiritualJesusSpeakPresidentVoiceChristChallengesLordPrayingExerciseHolyQuietSafeJesus ChristPerfectionRootsScriptureGhostAriseThis LifeProphetTestimonyCovenantHoly GhostLord Jesus ChristFeastingQuiet Voice
Author:Neil L. Andersen
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“I am really not "cyclonic" at all. Far from it. What I want is not here, nor can I longer bear this "cyclonic" atmosphere. This is the way to perfection, to strive to be perfect, and to strive to make perfect a few men and women. My idea of doing good is this: to evolve out a few giants, and not to strew pearls before swine, and so lose time, health, and energy.”

MenWayWantIdeasEnergyLosesPerfectBearsMen And WomenPerfectionStriveEvolveAtmosphereGiantsPearlsDoing GoodSwineTime HealsPearls Before Swine
Book:Swami Vivekananda on Himself
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“Patanjali, declares that the true secret of evolution is the manifestation of the perfection which is already in every being; that this perfection has been barred and the infinite tide behind is struggling to express itself. These struggles and competitions are but the results of our ignorance, because we do not know the proper way to unlock the gate and let the water in. This infinite tide behind must express itself; it is the cause of all manifestation.”

KnowsWayHas BeensCausesWaterResultsSecretBehindsStruggleIgnoranceEvolutionPerfectionInfiniteCompetitionManifestationGatesTides
Book:Raja Yoga (Annotated Edition)
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“As an artist, you are always striving toward an ultimate achievement but never seem to reach it. You shoot a film, and the result could have always been better. You try again, and fail once more. In some ways I find it enjoyable. You never lose sight of your goal. I don’t do my job to make money or to break box office records, I simply try things out. What would happen if I were to achieve perfection at some point? What would I do then?”

IfsWayTryingSeemsHappensJobsFilmArtistGoalLosesResultsBreakRecordsFailingAchieveOfficeAchievementPerfectionUltimateSightStriveBoxesMaking MoneyEnjoyableTry AgainBox Office
Author:Woody Allen
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“My life is music, and in some vague, mysterious and subconscious way, I have always been driven by a taut inner spring which has propelled me to almost compulsively reach for perfection in music, often - in fact, mostly - at the expense of everything else in my life.”

WayFactsLife IsMusicSpringPerfectionJazzDrivenMysteriousExpensesSubconsciousVagueJazz MusicJazz And Life
Book:Stan Getz - Omnibook: For B-flat Instruments
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“He moves not through distance, but through the ranges of satisfaction that come from hauling himself up into the air with complete and utter control; from knowing himself and knowing his airplane so well that he can come somewhere close to touching, in his own special and solitary way, that thing that is called perfection.”

WayWellsMovingKnowingAirSpecialPerfectionDistanceSatisfactionRangeAviationTouchingAirplaneSolitaryGreat Aviation
Book:A Gift of Wings
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“We must not lose hope. Hope is an anchor to the souls of men. Satan would have us cast away that anchor. In this way he can bring discouragement and surrender. But we must not lose hope. The Lord is pleased with every effort, even the tiny, daily ones in which we strive to be more like Him. Though we may see that we have far to go on the road to perfection, we must not give up hope.”

MenWayGivingMaySoulLosesEffortLordGoes OnGiving UpPerfectionStriveCastsTinySurrenderSatanNot Giving UpAnchorsDiscouragementCast Away
Book:The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson
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“God knows what is my greatest happiness, but I do not. There is no rule about what is happy and good; what suits one would not suit another. And the ways by which perfection is reached vary very much; the medicines necessary for our souls are very different from each other. Thus God leads us by strange ways; we know He wills our happiness, but we neither know what our happiness is, nor the way. We are blind; left to ourselves we should take the wrong way; we must leave it to Him.”

KnowsWayShouldDifferentSoulLeftStrangePerfectionBlindMedicineSuitsGod KnowsVaryWrong Way
Book:Prayers, Verses, and Devotions
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“To refuse any bond of union between man and civil society, on the one hand, and God the Creator and consequently the supreme Law-giver, on the other, is plainly repugnant to the nature, not only of man, but of all created things; for, of necessity, all effects must in some proper way be connected with their cause; and it belongs to the perfection of every nature to contain itself within that sphere and grade which the order of nature has assigned to it, namely, that the lower should be subject and obedient to the higher.”

MenWayShouldHandsLawOrderCausesSubjectsEffectsHigherPerfectionUnionsRefuseCreatorConnectedSupremeGradesSpheresGiverObedientCivil Society
Book:The Pope and the People: Select Letters and Addresses on Social Questions
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“Regarding perfection, that's a very difficult question. I can say that I have superseded most in my sadhana [practice]. I am in it, and my mind and my intelligence gets better in my sadhana, and it reaches a certain place. When I stretch, I stretch in such a way that my awareness moves, and a gate of awareness finally opens... My body is a laboratory, you can say. I don't stretch my body as if it is an object. I do yoga from the self towards the body, not the other way around.”

IfsWayLifeMindI CanSelfBodyMovingCertainDifficultPracticeAwarenessObjectsYogaPerfectionGet BetterGatesLaboratoryDifficult Questions
Author:B.K.S. Iyengar
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“Art is life seen through man's inner craving for perfection and beauty-- his escape from the sordid realities of life into a world of his imagining. Art accounts for at least a third of our civilization, and it is one of the artist's principal duties to do more than merely record life or nature. To the artist is given the privilege of pointing the way and inspiring towards a better life.”

MenWorldWayArtRealityArtistGivenRecordsDutyCivilizationArt IsPerfectionThirdsAccountsPrivilegeReality Of LifePrincipalPointingBetter LifeCraving
Author:Paul Outerbridge
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