Source: Aphorisms and Reflections (1901), p. 161
“Strive for excellence, not perfection, because we don't live in a perfect world.”
Source: The Doctrine of the Mean
“He strives after that which we translate 'virtue' but is in Greek aretê, 'excellence' …”
Source: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (1974), Ch. 29
Context: "What moves the Greek warrior to deeds of heroism," Kitto comments, "is not a sense of duty as we understand it—duty towards others: it is rather duty towards himself. He strives after that which we translate 'virtue' but is in Greek aretê, 'excellence' … we shall have much to say about aretê. It runs through Greek life."
There, Phædrus thinks, is a definition of Quality that had existed a thousand years before the dialecticians ever thought to put it to word-traps. Anyone who cannot understand this meaning without logical definiens and definendum and differentia is either lying or so out of touch with the common lot of humanity as to be unworthy of receiving any reply whatsoever.
“Perfection is not attainable. But if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence.”
“Excellence does not require perfection.”
His Biographers remark quoted in “Believing in Perfection” in New India Digest
