Question: Your philosophy says that we need perfection, but society seems to believe that people who are perfectionists are neurotic. Can you speak about this?

Sri Chinmoy: Each one has a sense of perfection. A child will feel that he is perfect if he can just smash twenty balloons. If someone else can remain quiet, then he will feel that he is perfect. If someone feels that God has told him to tell lies and he does tell lies, then he feels that he is perfect. If someone has promised to kill someone and he gets the gun and the bullets, then he feels that he is perfect. But finally wisdom dawns. He sees that by keeping his promise he would be sincere, but he would not be perfect. To kill someone else would be the worst possible thing. If you listen to the inner voice, the inner command, at all times, then you will know what to do. When you listen to this voice, that is perfection.