Idiom Breakdown

let the perfect be the enemy of the good

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Definition

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.

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"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”."
"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."
"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."
"But we shouldn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good."

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