When we fail to set boundaries and hold people accountable, we feel used and mistreated. This is why we sometimes attack who they are, which is far more hurtful than addressing a behavior or a choice.
Bren BrownRead
Perfectionism is a twenty-ton shield that we lug around thinking it will protect us when, in fact, it's the thing that's really preventing us from taking flight.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Perfectionism can hinder personal growth and progress rather than protect us.
BrenΓ© Brown's quote reflects the idea that the pursuit of perfection is not a safeguard against failure or inadequacy; instead, it creates a burden that can stifle creativity and personal development. The 'twenty-ton shield' symbolizes how our desire for perfection can become a heavy obstacle, preventing us from taking risks, embracing vulnerability, and ultimately achieving our true potential.
Themes
PerfectionismGrowthFearVulnerabilityRiskObstacle
In practice
Example use cases
During a workshop on creativity, I shared this quote to encourage participants to embrace imperfection.
More from Bren Brown
All quotes βSocial media has given us this idea that we should all have a posse of friends when in reality, if we have one or two really good friends, we are lucky.
Bren BrownRead
What we know matters but who we are matters more.
Bren BrownRead
Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we're supposed to be and embracing who we are.
Bren BrownRead
Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.
Bren BrownRead
Nostalgia is also a dangerous form of comparison. Think about how often we compare our lives to a memory that nostalgia has so completely edited that it never really existed.
Bren BrownRead
Similar quotes
The deeds you do may be the only sermon some persons will hear today.
Francis Of AssisiRead
It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it.
W. Somerset MaughamRead
The real magic wand is the child's own mind.
Jose Ortega Y GassetRead
A sure sign of ineptitude and malice is manifested when one's attacker is willing to cover himself with mud in order to try and make some of it adhere to his target.
Christopher HitchensRead
Anyway, as the old barrelhouse song says, My God, how the money rolled in. Norton must have subscribed to the old Puritan notion that the best way to figure out which folks God favours is by checking their bank acounts.
Stephen KingRead
Passion is a rather frightening thing because if you have passion you don't know where it will take you.
Jiddu KrishnamurtiRead