<P> Dans ses écrits, un sage Italien Dit que le mieux est l'ennemi du bien . (In his writings, a wise Italian says that the best is the enemy of the good) </P> <P> Aristotle, Confucius and other classical philosophers propounded the principle of the golden mean which counsels against extremism in general . The Pareto principle or 80--20 rule explains this numerically . 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> <P> Robert Watson - Watt, who developed early warning radar in Britain to counter the rapid growth of the Luftwaffe, propounded a "cult of the imperfect", which he stated as "Give them the third best to go on with; the second best comes too late, the best never comes ." Economist George Stigler says that "If you never miss a plane, you're spending too much time at the airport ." </P>

Perfect should not be the enemy of the good