Costica Bradatan is a Romanian-born American philosopher that often recites a fable involving an ancient Persian architect.

Be it by divine intervention or decades of honing his craft, one day The Architect designed the most stunning mosque the Islamic world had ever seen.

It was an awe-inspiring structure; gorgeous by every stretch of the word. It was as original as Michelangelo’s David and as well-proportioned as Leonardo’s Vitruvian Man. World-renowned builders from every continent flocked to Persia to gaze upon The Architect’s design.

Each builder, more famous than the last, got down on their hands and knees and begged him to allow them to bring his creation to life.

Overwhelmed by the reality that no builder could ever conceive perfectly of his creation, The Architect locked himself in his study for days, working himself into a state of mania as he looked over the pages of his design.

Finally, The Architect burned the pages, deciding it was far better to cherish an ideal fantasy than to resign himself to reality.

All of us have fallen victim to the madness of The Architect.

We recognize that ourselves and our work will never be able to live up to the lofty fantasies we’ve fabricated in our heads and so we choose to do nothing; absolutely nothing at all.

But, do we not know that done is better than perfect?

By Cole Schafer.

P.S. If this newsletter left you feeling inspired, do me a huge favor and tell one person to subscribe.

P.P.S. I read this fabulous fable in Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks. I can’t recommend it enough.