Dictionary

let the perfect be the enemy of the good en · VERB

Pronunciation

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Meanings

1. (idiomatic) To insist on the total realization of a goal and reject any compromise, thereby decreasing the chance of achieving even a part of that goal.
   • Incremental reform can move us forward and can improve the plight of the poor. I hope we do not let “the perfect be the enemy of the good” in welfare reform. 1978, Welfare Reform Proposals: Hearings Before the Subcommittee on Public Assistance of the Committee on Finance, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, Second Session, volume 3, United States Government Printing Office, page 572:
   • Of course they are far from perfect, of course we are more than ready to welcome constructive improvements to them, but I beg Parliament and also Member Governments not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. 1973, Official journal of the European Communities, numbers 165-169, page 161:
   • More data and more analyses will provide better information for the future, but we dare not let “the perfect be the enemy of the good”. 1960: Macdonald College, The Macdonald Farm Journal, volumes 21–22, page 7 (R. J. Cooke)
   • But we shouldn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. 2007, Chris Brian, The Politics Show, Wales regional report:

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Relateds

if it ain't broke, don't fix it · perfect is the enemy of good