If you’re not embarrassed by your first version… you’ve likely fallen into the perfection trap. It’s a powerful call for action over endless refinement.
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Meaning
The core message is brutal but simple: launch before you feel ready. That feeling of embarrassment is a sign you acted with necessary speed, not a sign of failure.
Explanation
Look, I’ve seen so many talented people, brilliant people, get stuck in what I call the “polishing loop.” They tweak, they adjust, they wait for that mythical moment when everything is perfect. And you know what? That moment never comes. This quote flips the script. It says that the cringe you feel looking back at your V1 isn’t a badge of shame—it’s a badge of honor. It means you got real-world feedback while everyone else was still stuck in theory. The goal isn’t to avoid embarrassment; the goal is to learn and iterate so fast that your first version becomes a distant, funny memory.
Quote Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Original Language | English (3669) |
| Category | Career (192) |
| Topics | imperfection (16), innovation (32), risk (54) |
| Literary Style | witty (99) |
| Emotion / Mood | encouraging (304), humorous (34) |
| Overall Quote Score | 79 (243) |
Origin & Factcheck
This one comes straight from Timothy Ferriss’s 2010 book, The 4-Hour Body. It’s often misattributed to Reid Hoffman, the LinkedIn founder, who has a very similar sentiment about launching. But the Ferriss version is the one that really codified this idea in the startup and productivity world. He was talking about it years before it became a Silicon Valley mantra.
Attribution Summary
| Context | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Author | Timothy Ferriss (145) |
| Source Type | Book (4032) |
| Source/Book Name | The 4-Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat-Loss, Incredible Sex, and Becoming Superhuman (53) |
| Origin Timeperiod | 21st Century (1891) |
| Original Language | English (3669) |
| Authenticity | Verified (4032) |
Author Bio
Timothy Ferriss writes and builds systems that help people work less and achieve more. He broke out with The 4-Hour Workweek and followed with books on body optimization, accelerated learning, and distilled tactics from top performers. He hosts The Tim Ferriss Show, one of the most-downloaded podcasts globally, and has invested in notable technology startups. The Timothy Ferriss book list continues to influence entrepreneurs, creators, and professionals seeking leverage. He studied East Asian Studies at Princeton, founded and sold a supplement company, and actively supports psychedelic science research.
| Official Website | Facebook | X| Instagram | YouTube
Where is this quotation located?
| Quotation | If you’re not embarrassed by your first version, you waited too long to launch |
| Book Details | Publication Year/Date: 2010; ISBN: 978-0-307-46563-0; Publisher: Crown Archetype; Pages: 592. |
| Where is it? | Chapter: Rapid Prototyping; Approximate page from 2010 edition: 233 |