Leadership and responsibility
The blessed work of helping the world forward, happily does not wait to be done by perfect men.
— George Eliot (1819–1880), "Janet's Repentance" Ch. 10 in Scenes of Clerical Life (1858); this has appeared in paraphrased form as: "The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men."

Leadership and responsibility

What it means

You do not need to be perfect to help the world move forward. Ordinary, flawed people do most of the good work there is.

About the author

George Eliot — English novelist and poet (1819–1880).

Source and verification

Source
"Janet's Repentance" Ch. 10 in Scenes of Clerical Life (1858); this has appeared in paraphrased form as: "The important work of moving the world forward does not wait to be done by perfect men."
Reference
George Eliot on Wikiquote
Checked
Wording and source taken from the sourced section of the author’s Wikiquote page, which cites the work given here (accessed 2026-10-11).
Copyright
Public domain: the author died in 1880.

The explanation above is ToDoMatriX’s own reading of the quote, not the author’s words.

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