“Done is better than perfect”

“Done is better than perfect” is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has been popular at Facebook and is often credited to Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg. “Done is better than perfect” has been cited in print since at least 1979, when the saying was credited to Anne Mollegen Smith of Redbook magazine.
 
“Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction” (frequently improperly credited to Harry S. Truman) is a similar saying.
               
 
Google Groups: rec.humor
FAVOURITE BUMPER STICK
RS_Helper
3/1/95
How about, “Don’t honk, I’m pedaling as fast as I can!”
—
Done is better than perfect.
 
Google Books
Leadership Lessons of Robert E. Lee: t
Tps, Tactics, and Strategies for Leaders and Managers
By Bil Holton
New York, NY: Gramercy Books
1999
Pg. 36:
As Management Consultant Cher Holton succinctly puts it: “Sometimes done is better than perfect.”
   
Procrastinators Anonymous
My Quote Collection
By Gwen D at 17 May 2006 - 11:58am
(...)
“Done is better than perfect.”—Anne Mollegen Smith.
 
Twitter
Jenn/Yana
‏@yanajenn
Good quote from Dooce http://tinyurl.com/yt32jd>: “Done is better than perfect.”  Yes, yes it is. I’m trying.
7:34 PM - 14 Jan 2008
 
Google Books
Think Like Zuck:
The Five Business Secrets of Facebook’s Improbably Brilliant CEO Mark Zuckerberg
By Ekaterina Walter
New York, NY: McGraw Hill Professional
2012
Pg. 35:
A Facebook poster hung in the Palo Alto headquarters reads: “Done is better than perfect.”
Pg. 54:
To support this, we have built a testing framework that at any given time can try out thousands of versions of Facebook. We have the words “Done is better than perfect” painted on our walls to remind ourselves to always keep shipping.
 
Brooklyn Artisan
What’s Better Than “Perfect”?
September 1, 2012 by Anne Mollegen Smith
(...)
Rather than hold out for polished perfection, though, we’re committed to publish and learn as we go.
 
I once earned 15 seconds of fame (appearing on a tote bag, in a quote-a-day calendar, at least one graduation speech, and a flurry of online quotes lists) when my advice to procrastinators went viral. ‘Done’ is better than ‘perfect.’
 
I hope I don’t have to eat those words.
–Anne Mollegen Smith, Editor & Publisher
   
Brooklyn Artisan
‘Done Is Better Than Perfect’ Proves It’s a Winner’s Slogan
October 27, 2013 by Anne Mollegen Smith
(...)
As Alexandra has recounted in her blog, she started her business in 2009 just about on a whim and a dime, posting on etsy.com a few pillows she’d made and expected to give friends as surprises. Business plan? Nada. Capitalization? Ditto. “Done is Better Than Perfect” was her slogan.
(...)
Brooklyn Artisan had to ask: Where did she get her mantra? From Sheryl Sandberg, the author of Lean In, Alexandra said. And yes, we couldn’t resist; we told the story of originating the “Done is better than perfect” saying at Redbook magazine in 1979. You can read that backstory here.
 
Twitter
Centre4 Testing
‏@Centre4Testing
We keep thinking of Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook’s quote: “Done is better than perfect”. Does it work for #softwaretesting or not?
5:27 AM - 26 Mar 2014