Is perfectionism… dangerous?

“Perfectionism is very dangerous because, of course, if your fidelity to perfectionism is too high you never do anything. Because doing anything results—it’s actually kind of tragic, because it means you sacrifice how gorgeous and perfect it is in your head for what it really is.”
–David Foster Wallace, in this video

We hear perfectionism described a hundred different ways. Rarely do we hear it described as dangerous. 

Is there a danger in doing nothing? A danger in letting ideas go uncreated? In letting muses diffuse until they’re nothing but evaporated water droplet stains? There’s a danger to the soul, maybe. A danger to our self-respect. A danger to our demeanor on our deathbed. 

Is this the danger David Foster Wallace speaks of? I hope not to know. I hope the dangers I encounter are dangers of going too far, saying too much, being too brash and too honest and too prolific.

I wish the same for you, too.