"What looks to the spectator or listener like an elegant, smooth and naturally developing sequence, probably had to be achieved by endless anxiety and doubt on the part of the artist. The artist is always aware of the possibility of getting it wrong; of putting the notes in an imperfect sequence. In life when we look at other people we are spectators. But when we look at ourselves we see from the inside - from the position of the artist. And this means that we are aware of the possibilities of getting it all wrong. Our lives, when seen this way, lack just the quality we admire in art and in certain other people. And, unfortunately, we cannot really see our own lives in any other way. We cannot get an external view of ourselves."- John Armstrong, The Secret Power of Beauty
As a perfectionist (especially when it comes to my writing), this passage in the book I'm currently reading really resonated.
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