The story
A variant of the older the best is the enemy of the good, popularized by Voltaire in French as le mieux est l'ennemi du bien, itself a translation of the Italian proverb il meglio è nemico del bene.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
perfect is the enemy of good
Today it means: Insistence on perfection often precludes the opportunity for something worthwhile. Full definition →