About this quote

It hands you permission to stop performing constant goodness. You can stop editing every impulse to look right and start acting from where you actually are. Who would you be if you let one small flaw show? Try a concrete step: admit a mistake at work, tell a friend the truth, or let the house stay messy for a day.

When to use it

• Before my performance review at work, when I'm tempted to polish the truth, I think 'You do not have to be good' and then admit the real problem and my plan to fix it.
• The night before a big exam, instead of pretending I understood everything, I remind myself of the line and ask for help on the one topic I missed.
• After a relapse in my training routine, I said the phrase out loud and stopped pretending I was fine—then I scheduled one simple session to start again.
• When I called my sister to own a harsh thing I said at dinner, I used the line to quiet my shame and speak honestly.