<P> A widely accepted interpretation of "The perfect is the enemy of the good" is that one might never complete a task if one has decided not to stop until it is perfect: completing the project well is made impossible by striving to complete it perfectly . Closely related is the Nirvana fallacy, in which people never even begin an important task because they feel reaching perfection is too hard . </P> <P> The original meaning may have been that attempts to improve something may actually make it worse, similar to the sentiment expressed in the maxim "leave well enough alone". Neither the Shakespeare nor the Voltaire construction suggests perfection, only improvement, lending support to this interpretation . </P> <P> Earlier, Aristotle, Confucius and other classical philosophers propounded the related principle of the golden mean, which counsels against extremism in general . </P> <P> The Pareto principle or 80--20 rule is a 20th - century analogue . For example, it commonly takes 20% of the full - time to complete 80% of a task, while to complete the last 20% of a task takes 80% of the effort . Achieving absolute perfection may be impossible and so, as increasing effort results in diminishing returns, further activity becomes increasingly inefficient . </P>

Who said be good or be good at it