The Importance Of The Perfect Not Being Allowed To Be The Enemy of The Good

    Quote from Wikipedia

    To form a more perfect Union
    The phrase "to form a more perfect Union" has been construed as referring to the shift to the Constitution from the Articles of Confederation. The contemporaneous meaning of the word "perfect" was complete, finished, fully informed, confident, or certain. The phrase has been interpreted in various ways throughout history based on the context of the times. For example, shortly after the Civil War and the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment, the Supreme Court said that the "Union" was made "more perfect" by the creation of a federal government with enough power to act directly upon citizens, rather than a government with narrowly limited power that could act on citizens only indirectly through the states, e.g., by imposing taxes. Also, the institution was created as a government over the States and people, not an agreement (union) between the States.

    People, were talking the late 1700s here. Grammar is not what it used to be.

    The whole idea with that phrase was that the Constitution would be "closer to being finished, more complete, more fully formed" than the wonky, loosey-goosey Articles of Confederation.

    The Constitution, in the eyes of the Framers, made the United States of America closer to a real country rather than a conglomeration of individual states (ie, their own countries).

    Quote from Don

    People, were talking the late 1700s here. Grammar is not what it used to be.

    Absolutely. Not to flog a trivial point to death, but Latin also has/had comparative and superlative forms of perfectus:

    https://www.latin-is-simple.com/en/vocabulary/adjective/6667/?h=perfectus

    perfectus - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

    "We must try to make the end of the journey better than the beginning, as long as we are journeying; but when we come to the end, we must be happy and content." (Vatican Saying 48)

    Tullius comes to the aid of the "perfect is not the enemy of the good" camp in our upcoming Lucretius Today episode 279. In discussing life span, he says at Tusculan Disputations 1:39

    Quote

    Men judge better in other things, and allow a part to be preferable to none; why do they not admit the same estimate in life?


    At id quidem in ceteris rebus melius putatur, aliquam partem quam nullam attingere: cur in vita secus ?


    OK more like ""But indeed in other matters, it is considered better to achieve some part than none at all: why is it different in life?"

    It looks like the placement of the comma is questionable and ought to be deleted or moved:

    At id quidem in ceteris rebus, melius putatur aliquam partem quam nullam attingere: cur in vita secus ?

    So the key Latin phrase is: melius putatur aliquam partem quam nullam attingere

    better it is thought a large part, than none, to be achieved.

    It also looks like both Yonge and Hicks are ignoring the aliquam and just saying "a part" - when the aliquam seems to indicate "a large part."

    Here's nodictionaries.com:

    aliquam partem quam nullam attingere, cur in vita secus ?
    aliquamlargely, to a large extent, a lot of
    nullus, nulla, nullum (gen -ius)no; none, not any
    attingo, attingere, attigi, attactustouch, touch/border on; reach, arrive at, achieve; mention briefly; belong to
    curwhy, wherefore; for what reason/purpose?; on account of which?; because
    vita, vitae Flife, career, livelihood; mode of life
    secus otherwise; differently, in another way; contrary to what is right/expected

    The "aliquam" from your list is the adverb "largely," --- which is not that common -- but in this sentence it is a version of aliquis and means "some."

    "It is thought better to obtain some part rather than none [at all]."