Pursuit of Excellence Quotes

Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence. I am not remotely interested in just being good.

The good is the enemy of the best.

The envy of excellence leads to perdition; the love of it leads to the light.

Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing

Strive for perfection in everything you do.

Ambition leads me not only farther than any other man has been before me, but as far as I think it possible for man to go.

Always give your best and try to figure out how to do an even better job.

There can be no progress, no achievement without sacrifice.

Wisdom is the power to see, and the inclination to choose, the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it.

True success is not a project but a journey.

Every time I reach a major milestone in my career, I expect it to make more of a difference than it does, and I guess that means I'm in the sport for the right reasons. I'm not in it to win it because winning can only last for so long, and it's a very fickle thing, sport.

People asked me what I want as an epitaph: "He Tried".

It was always about being first, about winning. There were no prizes for second place. My mother and father said, 'Do whatever you want, as long as you're the best at it.'

I always say I've given 24 insufficient performances and I'm looking forward to the time in my life when I'll do something that I think is good. There's always stuff you can do better, stuff that maybe you didn't uncover enough. But if you do something that you truly believe is perfect, then that's got to be the last movie you do.

I think people who are compelled to achieve never really think they've achieved... I think the moment you get to a place when you think 'Oh I'm a fashion legend' then that's when you're no longer competitive in your field.

The pursuit of excellence is less profitable than the pursuit of bigness, but it can be more satisfying.

He was always striving to attain it. The life that was so swiftly expanding within him, urged him continually toward the wall of light. The life that was within him knew that it was the one way out, the way he was predestined to tread.

Ambition has become a dirty word, and I believe it is a great evolutionary force for the positive. If people fail or go astray in their ambition I can live with it but not with people lowering their expectations, wasting time, slacking off and glorifying failure and stupidity.

The only reason I ever do an independent film is that I believe in it, and I think it has something special to offer. I'm certainly not doing it to be a millionaire.

Good is the enemy of great.

Me and success are two things you don't wanna find yo ass between. Back against the wall like plasma screens.

I don't think successful musicians were really put on this planet in order to have a great time, pat themselves on the back and say, 'Oh, what a clever boy I am!' I think that, like most artists, we were put on the planet to suffer just a little. And we do.

I am in awe of the brand, and there is nothing I would do or contemplate doing that would any way impact the unique pedestal that Steinway occupies in the industry, 160 years, uncompromising reputation for excellence, and it's my goal to safeguard that reputation and continue that pursuit of perfection.

All you wanna do in life is do what you do well. That's when you're happiest.

I always wanted to play against the best.