“Good enough is the enemy of best.” – me, sorta
In a letter I wrote to my peers earlier (long story, and you will get it soon enough) I used this phrase to express a simple sentiment – that sometimes it is easy to hang onto a situation you have and sacrifice what you want. I knew it was a concept I had heard before (many of us have), but I also vaguely remember a quote.
When asked about it in a reply, I went looking for the exact quote… and it turns out there is an interesting story there. Sometime in the mid to late 1700’s this was uttered…
“Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien.” ( “The better is the enemy of the good.” ) – Voltaire
Now, the common interpretation is actually in opposition to my usage, but one I also agree with… that often one can get so caught up in seeking perfection that you accomplish nothing. This is something much on my mind as well these days though I attribute it more to Tim Ferris who I can paraphrase as having said to not confuse being efficient with being effective.
The inverse phrase “The good is the enemy of the best” is basically an anonymous proverb sometimes mistakenly attributed to Voltaire.
So now you know, and knowing is half the battle*.
p.s. Go Joe!
Comments
2 responses to “Good Enough is the Enemy of Best”
Whenever I hear about Good Enough and the Best, I think to the early days of Paypal. Their founder and chief engineer was in an absolute knock-down dragout battle with some Russian hackers, trying to build the best, absolute best system that was possible to stop them. His business guys were like 'it is good enough as it is' but he was really overly focused on fighting it (perhaps forestalling some other developments that might have made more of a difference).
In the end, Paypal lost something like tens of millions (maybe even $110 million if my memory is right) but it was not a big deal given the overall value and amount of money they were making. It was 'good enough'.
A good point indeed… maybe it is about setting the RIGHT target, then not compromising for less.