There's an old saying: 'No piece of writing is ever finished, it's just abandoned.' But my own rule is: No piece of work is done until you want to kill everyone involved in the publishing process, especially yourself.
May I never be complete. May I never be content. May I never be perfect.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses the idea that striving for more and embracing imperfection keeps life dynamic and meaningful.
In this quote, Chuck Palahniuk emphasizes the importance of continuous growth and the pursuit of knowledge and experience. By rejecting the notions of completeness, contentment, and perfection, he suggests that true fulfillment lies in the journey of self-improvement and the acceptance of life's inherent flaws. This perspective encourages individuals to embrace challenges and uncertainties, fostering a mindset that values evolution over stagnation.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech, you might use this quote to inspire people to embrace their flaws and keep striving for their goals.
More from Chuck Palahniuk
All quotes βGriping isn't the same as creating something. Rebelling isn't rebuilding. Ridiculing isn't replacing. We've taken the world apart but we have no idea what to do with the pieces.
If we can forgive whatβs been done to us... If we can forgive what weβve done to others... If we can leave all of our stories behind. Our being villains or victims. Only then can we maybe rescue the world.
We're all trapped. It's always 1734. All of us, we're stuck in the same time capsule, the same as those television shows where the same people are marooned on the same desert island for thirty seasons and never age or escape. They just wear more makeup. In a creepy way, those shows are maybe too authentic.
One thing I really envy about my friends who have kids is that as their children develop, they're able to revisit their own developmental stages and recognise themselves and undo a lot of things they decided.
If you knew that your life was merely a phase or short, short segment of your entire existence, how would you live? Knowing nothing 'real' was at risk, what would you do? You'd live a gigantic, bold, fun, dazzling life. You know you would. That's what the ghosts want us to do - all the exciting things they no longer can.
Similar quotes
The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.
Haven't you got any romance in your soul?" said Magrat plaintively. "No," said Granny. "I ain't. And stars don't care what you wish, and magic don't make things better, and no one doesn't get burned who sticks their hand in a fire. If you want to amount to anything as a witch, Magrat Garlick, you got to learn three things. What's real, what's not real, and what's the difference.
A man ceases to be a beginner in any given science and becomes a master in that science when he has learned that... he is going to be a beginner all his life.
Everyone is influenced by everybody but you bring it down home the way you feel it.
I am a buyer of blank books. Kids find it interesting that I would buy a blank book. They say, Twenty-Six dollars for a blank book! Why would you pay that? The reason I pay twenty-six dollars is to challenge myself to find something worth twenty-six dollars to put in there. All my journals are private, but if you ever got hold of one of them, you wouldn't have to look very far to discover it is worth more than twenty-six dollars
Women and wine, game and deceit, make the wealth small, and the want great