Authors

Marguerite Yourcenar

Marguerite Yourcenar (1903–1987) was a French-language writer and the first woman elected to the Académie française. Her work includes novels, essays, and translations, and it often reflects refinement, history, and disciplined craft, as echoed in the quote’s emphasis on repeated improvement.

Quotes: 1

Quotes by Marguerite Yourcenar

Do the best one can. Do it over again. Then still improve, even if ever so slightly, those retouches. — Marguerite Yourcenar

The Quiet Discipline of Endless Refinement

Yourcenar’s words begin with a simple demand: do the best one can. Yet she immediately refuses to let effort become an excuse for stopping.

Created on: 8/1/2026