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The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to Trade My Dream of Perfect for God's
In a book hailed as “liberating” (Gary Chapman, New York Times bestselling author), an award-winning author and mother of four weaves her own stories and struggles with those of seven ex-perfectionist saints (and one heretic) who show us how to pursue a new kind of perfection: freedom in Christ.
Spiritual perfectionism—an obsession with flawlessness rooted in the belief that we can earn God’s love—is dangerous because so many of us mistake it for virtue. Its toxic cycle of pride, sin, shame, blame, and despair distorts our vision, dulls our faith, and leads us to view others through the same hypercritical lens we think God is using to view us.
As a lifelong overachiever who drafted her first résumé in sixth grade and spell-checked her high school boyfriend’s love letters, Colleen Carroll Campbell knows something about the perfectionist trap. But it was only after she became a mother that she started to see how insidiously perfectionism had infected her spiritual life, how lethal it could be to her happiness and her family, and how disproportionately it afflicts the people working hardest to serve God.
In the ruins of her own mistakes, Colleen dug into Scripture and the lives of the canonized saints for answers. She discovered to her surprise that many holy men and women were, in fact, recovering perfectionists. And their grace-fueled victory oer this malady—not perfectionist striving—was the key to their heroic virtue and contagious joy.
In The Heart of Perfection, Colleen weaves the stories and wisdom of these saints with Scripture and beautifully crafted tales of her own trial-and-error experiments in applying that wisdom to her life. Gorgeously written and deeply insightful, Colleen Carroll Campbell’s The Heart of Perfection is a “must-read” (Jeannie Gaffigan, executive producer of The Jim Gaffigan Show) that “gives us permission to…walk in the freedom of God’s unconditional love” (Jennifer Fulwiler, author of One Beautiful Dream).
Spiritual perfectionism—an obsession with flawlessness rooted in the belief that we can earn God’s love—is dangerous because so many of us mistake it for virtue. Its toxic cycle of pride, sin, shame, blame, and despair distorts our vision, dulls our faith, and leads us to view others through the same hypercritical lens we think God is using to view us.
As a lifelong overachiever who drafted her first résumé in sixth grade and spell-checked her high school boyfriend’s love letters, Colleen Carroll Campbell knows something about the perfectionist trap. But it was only after she became a mother that she started to see how insidiously perfectionism had infected her spiritual life, how lethal it could be to her happiness and her family, and how disproportionately it afflicts the people working hardest to serve God.
In the ruins of her own mistakes, Colleen dug into Scripture and the lives of the canonized saints for answers. She discovered to her surprise that many holy men and women were, in fact, recovering perfectionists. And their grace-fueled victory oer this malady—not perfectionist striving—was the key to their heroic virtue and contagious joy.
In The Heart of Perfection, Colleen weaves the stories and wisdom of these saints with Scripture and beautifully crafted tales of her own trial-and-error experiments in applying that wisdom to her life. Gorgeously written and deeply insightful, Colleen Carroll Campbell’s The Heart of Perfection is a “must-read” (Jeannie Gaffigan, executive producer of The Jim Gaffigan Show) that “gives us permission to…walk in the freedom of God’s unconditional love” (Jennifer Fulwiler, author of One Beautiful Dream).
256 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 2019
213 people are currently reading
1621 people want to read
About the author
Colleen Carroll Campbell
5 books134 followersColleen Carroll Campbell is an award-winning author, print and broadcast journalist and former presidential speechwriter. Her books include her critically acclaimed journalistic study, The New Faithful; her spiritual memoir, My Sisters the Saints, which won two national awards and has been published in five languages; and The Heart of Perfection: How the Saints Taught Me to Trade My Dream of Perfect for God’s, just released by Simon & Schuster. Colleen has written for the New York Times, Washington Post, Christianity Today, America and National Review, and appeared on CNN, FOX News, MSNBC, ABC News, PBS, NPR and EWTN, where she hosted her own television and radio shows for eight years. A former speechwriter for President George W. Bush and editorial writer and op-ed columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Colleen is the recipient of two honorary doctorates and numerous other awards and fellowships. She speaks to audiences across North America and Europe and lives in St. Louis with her husband and their four young children, whom she homeschools. Her website is www.colleen-campbell.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews
August 7, 2019
When I saw that Colleen Carroll Campbell had a book coming out, it took me approximately two seconds to preorder it. And then I read it.
“You don’t have to be a congenital perfectionist like me to have a problem with perfectionism,” she writes in chapter 1. “Nor must you demand flawlessness in every part of your life. Perfectionism is simply an addiction to control and a refusal to accept imperfection in some human endeavor.”
Hard stop. Full pause. Head explosion.
Perfectionism is a problem with control? Perfectionism is a problem with control?
Just looking at the chapter titles reveals the journey Campbell leads you on:
An Ancient Lie
The Struggle for Gentleness
Stalking Joy
Braving the Waves
The War Within
A Passionate Balance
Pilgrims and Strangers
From Head to Heart
In each chapter, Campbell introduces a saint — and often more than one — who accompanied her in her struggle with perfectionism. They’re not just added in, either: they are a beautiful part of the tapestry and lessons we can learn about what perfectionism is (and is not).
The perfectionism struggle is one that spoke to me on a deep, moving level.
Perfectionism is, after all, a “problem,” one that’s very much in quotes, because, come on: Do you really think it’s a problem?
It’s the “problem” many of us love to have, isn’t it? We glory in it: “Oh, I’d stop checking email on vacation, but I’m such a perfectionist and don’t want to let things slip by me.” We pride ourselves in it: “Well, good enough is never really good enough.” We bask in it: “I can’t help it, really.”
So much of this book felt like it was written for me. Campbell is a mentor who walks the talk and talks the walk. She opens up to the reader and, in doing that, challenges each of us to open up to ourselves and, ultimately, to God.
“Praying for deliverance from fear is a crucial step for spiritual perfectionists. But before we can see freedom, we must recognize we are bound. That‘s often a harder step. Fear is a sneaky demon; it wears many disguises. And sometimes the religious voices we turn to for clarity and support only make us feel more afraid, embarrassed, and alone.”
Highly recommended, whether you’re looking for good writing or spiritual reading. This book fires on all cylinders, even if it’s not a car (it is a great ride, though!).
“You don’t have to be a congenital perfectionist like me to have a problem with perfectionism,” she writes in chapter 1. “Nor must you demand flawlessness in every part of your life. Perfectionism is simply an addiction to control and a refusal to accept imperfection in some human endeavor.”
Hard stop. Full pause. Head explosion.
Perfectionism is a problem with control? Perfectionism is a problem with control?
Just looking at the chapter titles reveals the journey Campbell leads you on:
An Ancient Lie
The Struggle for Gentleness
Stalking Joy
Braving the Waves
The War Within
A Passionate Balance
Pilgrims and Strangers
From Head to Heart
In each chapter, Campbell introduces a saint — and often more than one — who accompanied her in her struggle with perfectionism. They’re not just added in, either: they are a beautiful part of the tapestry and lessons we can learn about what perfectionism is (and is not).
The perfectionism struggle is one that spoke to me on a deep, moving level.
Perfectionism is, after all, a “problem,” one that’s very much in quotes, because, come on: Do you really think it’s a problem?
It’s the “problem” many of us love to have, isn’t it? We glory in it: “Oh, I’d stop checking email on vacation, but I’m such a perfectionist and don’t want to let things slip by me.” We pride ourselves in it: “Well, good enough is never really good enough.” We bask in it: “I can’t help it, really.”
So much of this book felt like it was written for me. Campbell is a mentor who walks the talk and talks the walk. She opens up to the reader and, in doing that, challenges each of us to open up to ourselves and, ultimately, to God.
“Praying for deliverance from fear is a crucial step for spiritual perfectionists. But before we can see freedom, we must recognize we are bound. That‘s often a harder step. Fear is a sneaky demon; it wears many disguises. And sometimes the religious voices we turn to for clarity and support only make us feel more afraid, embarrassed, and alone.”
Highly recommended, whether you’re looking for good writing or spiritual reading. This book fires on all cylinders, even if it’s not a car (it is a great ride, though!).
September 8, 2019
*listened to the audiobook*
Like her memoir, "My Sisters the Saints," this book parallels events from Campbell's own life with those of great saints. This book packs less of an emotional punch, but is still edifying. When Campbell became a mother she found her latent perfectionist tendencies reaching a fever pitch, and the age-old "balance it all" problems were turning her life upside down. In an unlikely move, she finds inspiration and solace from people we might be tempted to think of as "perfection" itself - after all they were saints! But before they were saints they were just people, with personalities, struggles, sometimes violent tempers, many of whom struggled with spiritual perfectionism.
The sin of spiritual pride is especially rampant, and it's scary because it can go so easily unnoticed, even masquerading as a virtue. Even within the Catholic Church, there are so many culture wars - traditional versus liberal - liturgical purists versus charismatic worshippers - and while all these discussions are good and important because they relate to the present and future of the faith, they can also be a dangerous distraction from what really matters - love of God, love of neighbor, love of self.
While I don't consider myself a perfectionist - I have no problem flitting from one project to the next, leaving things a little untidy now and then, or just reveling in the random experiences that don't go according to plan - I do have some controlling tendencies. As Campbell notes, one of the first effects of the Fall was lack of trust in God. Adam and Eve hide in the garden; God goes looking for them, perplexed by their sudden shyness in the face of their creator. I also grew up with a perfectionist and workaholic mother, and I related to Campbell's workaholism struggles if only by proxy.
I truly enjoyed meeting and deepening my relationship with the saints she featured, some of whom I had never even heard of. This was an excellent book to listen to on Audible - Campbell herself does the narration. However you encounter this work, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't consider yourself a perfectionist, I think you will still find many aspects of Campbell's story relatable, not to mention you will meet some amazing saints along the way. Understanding what perfection is has a lot to do with understanding what love is, and that's something you're not going to learn in the world.
Like her memoir, "My Sisters the Saints," this book parallels events from Campbell's own life with those of great saints. This book packs less of an emotional punch, but is still edifying. When Campbell became a mother she found her latent perfectionist tendencies reaching a fever pitch, and the age-old "balance it all" problems were turning her life upside down. In an unlikely move, she finds inspiration and solace from people we might be tempted to think of as "perfection" itself - after all they were saints! But before they were saints they were just people, with personalities, struggles, sometimes violent tempers, many of whom struggled with spiritual perfectionism.
The sin of spiritual pride is especially rampant, and it's scary because it can go so easily unnoticed, even masquerading as a virtue. Even within the Catholic Church, there are so many culture wars - traditional versus liberal - liturgical purists versus charismatic worshippers - and while all these discussions are good and important because they relate to the present and future of the faith, they can also be a dangerous distraction from what really matters - love of God, love of neighbor, love of self.
While I don't consider myself a perfectionist - I have no problem flitting from one project to the next, leaving things a little untidy now and then, or just reveling in the random experiences that don't go according to plan - I do have some controlling tendencies. As Campbell notes, one of the first effects of the Fall was lack of trust in God. Adam and Eve hide in the garden; God goes looking for them, perplexed by their sudden shyness in the face of their creator. I also grew up with a perfectionist and workaholic mother, and I related to Campbell's workaholism struggles if only by proxy.
I truly enjoyed meeting and deepening my relationship with the saints she featured, some of whom I had never even heard of. This was an excellent book to listen to on Audible - Campbell herself does the narration. However you encounter this work, I highly recommend it. Even if you don't consider yourself a perfectionist, I think you will still find many aspects of Campbell's story relatable, not to mention you will meet some amazing saints along the way. Understanding what perfection is has a lot to do with understanding what love is, and that's something you're not going to learn in the world.
October 1, 2024
This was such a wonderful read*. Way better than expected and would recommend to almost any woman and most men, too 😉
*listen, more accurately (thx audible free trial)
*listen, more accurately (thx audible free trial)
August 30, 2019
This book has helped me/ is helping me with my tendencies of perfectionism. It is so relatable on so many levels and the way the author introduces saints that struggled with perfectionism was just the best! I really enjoyed this book and will recommend it to all!
August 31, 2021
The best book on lay Catholic spirituality that I have ever read in my short life
January 15, 2023
I only wish this book was around when I was raising my kids. So very good! Listened to on audio, read by the author.
October 23, 2023
Guys. Just found out I’m a PERFECTIONIST (??!!!) this was news to me. I think everyone is, at least a little bit, whether or not they want to admit it. This book was a pretty easy read full of practicals, albeit a bit overwhelming for me to discover these tendencies about myself, and fairly easy to digest. I love the way Campbell dove into freedom, gentleness, and being content with reality as a way to approach the overachievement we find ourselves chasing in the spiritual life. I also thoroughly enjoyed her takeaways about this through the eyes of motherhood, posing the thought-provoking question for the reader, what am I going to pass down from generation to generation?
Also, she talks about the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a remedy to the cycle of shame, and that just makes my little heart sing. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us that we might have mercy on ourselves!
Also, she talks about the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a remedy to the cycle of shame, and that just makes my little heart sing. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us that we might have mercy on ourselves!
July 17, 2019
There’s some really beautifully written parts and gems of wisdom. And then there’s so many more places where the meaning gets lost within the wordiness of the writing. I loved the My Sisters the Saints and was so excited to read this book but found it hard to finish. This book lacked clarity and raw emotion that drew me into My Sisters the Saints.
June 14, 2019
I enjoyed learning about the different saints and seeing the parallel lessons she learned from them in her own life - the last chapter seemed out of place and very drawn out.
Probably more of a 3.5 star rating
Probably more of a 3.5 star rating
August 17, 2019
Completely relatable... so many good stories. An easy read with so many nuggets of wisdom from the saints.
August 29, 2019
A wonderful book for a planner, perfectionist like me. I loved the writing as well as the well-researched information on the saints Campbell included.
November 9, 2024
A beautiful book that fully lived up to ‘My Sisters the Saints.’ Healing to read, with ideas and stories I’m going to be pondering and journaling on for some time to come.
June 11, 2024
The Heart of Perfection is a great book for any scrupulous perfectionists who have turned their spiritual life and relationship with God into an inquiry for self improvement and measurable progress.
Campbell did an excellent job synthesizing sources and quotes from a variety of Saints to outline ways that they struggled with and overcame pervasive perfectionist philosophies. Unsurprisingly, my favorite sections were those that highlighted St. Francis de Sales’ wisdom on the matter. Every time I read his words, I feel as if he is speaking directly to me: “the perfection at which we aim does not come, dear daughter, for many years.”
Other topics addressed throughout this book include offshoots of perfectionism such as acting out of haste and anxiety, failing to recognize opportunities for sacrifice, being overly harsh about imperfections and refusing to be patient and gentle.
This book also provided me with a deluge of reading material that I will have to check out. Special thanks to Fr. Mike for “prescribing” this book for me!
St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chantal, St. Alphonsus Ligouri, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Benedict of Nursia, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Campbell did an excellent job synthesizing sources and quotes from a variety of Saints to outline ways that they struggled with and overcame pervasive perfectionist philosophies. Unsurprisingly, my favorite sections were those that highlighted St. Francis de Sales’ wisdom on the matter. Every time I read his words, I feel as if he is speaking directly to me: “the perfection at which we aim does not come, dear daughter, for many years.”
Other topics addressed throughout this book include offshoots of perfectionism such as acting out of haste and anxiety, failing to recognize opportunities for sacrifice, being overly harsh about imperfections and refusing to be patient and gentle.
This book also provided me with a deluge of reading material that I will have to check out. Special thanks to Fr. Mike for “prescribing” this book for me!
St. Francis de Sales, St. Jane de Chantal, St. Alphonsus Ligouri, St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Benedict of Nursia, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Therese of Lisieux, pray for us. Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
July 7, 2025
Not to be dramatic but this is hands down the best book I’ve ever read.
“The hearts that God celebrates are those humble enough to recognize their need for His mercy and generous enough to extend that mercy to others. ‘You do not desire sacrifice,’ the psalmist writes, but ‘a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn’ (Ps. 51:18-19). Wide-open, wounded hearts draw God like a magnet: ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, those who are crushed in spirit He saves’ (Ps. 34:19).”
“…if even Christ’s risen body still bears the marks of His wounds (John 20:20), then denying or hiding our wounds, or lamenting that we have them in the first place, makes little sense. And a perfectionist theology that prods us to hate weakness in ourselves and others, or white-knuckle our way to salvation, starts to seem a little ludicrous.”
St. Jane de Chantal, pray for us!
“The hearts that God celebrates are those humble enough to recognize their need for His mercy and generous enough to extend that mercy to others. ‘You do not desire sacrifice,’ the psalmist writes, but ‘a contrite, humbled heart, O God, you will not scorn’ (Ps. 51:18-19). Wide-open, wounded hearts draw God like a magnet: ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, those who are crushed in spirit He saves’ (Ps. 34:19).”
“…if even Christ’s risen body still bears the marks of His wounds (John 20:20), then denying or hiding our wounds, or lamenting that we have them in the first place, makes little sense. And a perfectionist theology that prods us to hate weakness in ourselves and others, or white-knuckle our way to salvation, starts to seem a little ludicrous.”
St. Jane de Chantal, pray for us!
January 9, 2024
This was good!! Listened to the audiobook all day in preparation for an upcoming retreat this week and took away many insights and advice from my girl Colleen and the saints. I definitely think I’ll revisit when I’m in a different stage of life—would recommend to any moms or women looking to kick the debilitating effects of perfectionism in their daily lives! Gonna make my mom read this one next :) solid 3.5 read!
November 2, 2025
Already need to re-read
October 2, 2025
Such a powerful read & resource for individuals who struggle with perfectionism (especially in the spiritual life). Campbell beautifully integrates personal examples with examples from several Saints in a way that is simple yet profound. Can’t wait to recommend this book to friends & clients!
December 9, 2022
This book was immensely powerful - a good (dare I say necessary) read for all high achieving women who find a sense of self-protection, security, and safety in managing, controlling, and performing at a high-level to never give way to weakness. This book put to language things in my own heart. It’s one I’ll return to!
January 26, 2020
This is the third book that I have read by Colleen Carroll Campbell. I liked her conversational tone, and how she shares her own struggles and allows me to really connect with her.
In The Heart of Perfection, the author brings her struggles with perfectionism into the light and explored it in the context of what the saints like St. Benedict of Nursia who have wrestled with perfectionism and scrupulosity. She showed how though we are expected by the 'world' to be perfect how we can learn to live to be more gentle with ourselves and by extension to others around us. I have done a lot of work in myself regarding perfectionism, and it is a welcome notion to know I am not alone in my inability to sometimes be harsh on myself. Though Campbell herself is Catholic, as am I, this was a book that could be read by all believers.
In The Heart of Perfection, the author brings her struggles with perfectionism into the light and explored it in the context of what the saints like St. Benedict of Nursia who have wrestled with perfectionism and scrupulosity. She showed how though we are expected by the 'world' to be perfect how we can learn to live to be more gentle with ourselves and by extension to others around us. I have done a lot of work in myself regarding perfectionism, and it is a welcome notion to know I am not alone in my inability to sometimes be harsh on myself. Though Campbell herself is Catholic, as am I, this was a book that could be read by all believers.
December 6, 2020
Excellent, easy-to-read book that draws wisdom from the saints on how to combat spiritual perfectionism and scrupulosity. The format of the book is half theology, half personal testimony of the author. Sometimes I’d wish she spent more time on the theology/life of the saint dynamic, but the applications she makes to her own life were beneficial. It helped that her writing is so engaging and entertaining (ie. “When I’m despairing of juggling work and motherhood and chewing over my latest encounter with naysayers- both the anti-work types who think the only good mommy is a housebound martyr, and the anti-kid types who seem to think that a woman’s brain leaves her body with the placenta of her fourth child-[my husband] reminds me that their opinion doesn’t count. God’s does.”)
December 4, 2019
This book is amazing. It spoke to me in many of the areas of my life that I am currently wrestling with and spoke life and insight there. Colleen Carroll Campbell is a refreshing voice in the Church today and speaks with candor and grace. Her discussions of balancing motherhood and marriage with career and other callings are powerful. Cannot recommend enough!
May 7, 2020
I love Colleen’s writing style- she has some really beautiful lines strewn throughout the book! I love how she leaves you feeling that you really know the saints she discusses in each chapter; each left me wanting to read more about their lives!
October 6, 2019
Outstanding.
February 27, 2021
I wish I could give this 10 stars. This books is brilliant and resonates so much with me. For anyone who doesn’t let up on themselves especially in the spiritual life, this is a must read.
December 20, 2025
I ran into this book, scanning the options in Google Books, which touches on my interest in the Christian saints and how they can connect to how to live today. Roman Catholics tend to do this well because of their attention to saints in their spirituality and Campbell does it better than most. This book, as the title would suggest, focuses primarily on perfection and what various saint's lives have to say about that. The book weaves in Campbell's life and the lives of several saints and a few not saints.
What I liked about this book is not only the interweaving of the author's life and struggles with perfectionism, but also the empathy that she writes with when she writes about the various saints and not saints. She doesn't try to hid their flaws- in fact, the flaws created by perfectionism is part of what Campbell is talking about. She doesn't hesitate to talk about how perfectionism appears in religious life as judgement and harshness, but also looks to see what saints do to move away from all that. She provides a very human look at perfectionism, not shrinking from the darker sides, but also looking towards how our faith ultimately helps us rely on God, not our own perfection.
This is a worthy reflection on the guidance that the saints can give through their examples, both good and bad.
What I liked about this book is not only the interweaving of the author's life and struggles with perfectionism, but also the empathy that she writes with when she writes about the various saints and not saints. She doesn't try to hid their flaws- in fact, the flaws created by perfectionism is part of what Campbell is talking about. She doesn't hesitate to talk about how perfectionism appears in religious life as judgement and harshness, but also looks to see what saints do to move away from all that. She provides a very human look at perfectionism, not shrinking from the darker sides, but also looking towards how our faith ultimately helps us rely on God, not our own perfection.
This is a worthy reflection on the guidance that the saints can give through their examples, both good and bad.
January 1, 2025
So, so good.
I picked it up on the recommendation of our parish priest at our mom's group. And it is the book I had no idea I needed so badly until I was casually reading a passage on page 6 out loud to my husband and had to stop because I was choking up with emotion. It hit me so squarely between the eyes.
The writing is excellent. The blending of the author's own story with stories of the saints is excellent. The relatively unique message and call to holiness is, I think, so desperately needed. Books like this are why I am stingy with five star ratings - so when one comes along that has the power to alter my life long after I have finished reading it, it gets the recognition it is due.
I picked it up on the recommendation of our parish priest at our mom's group. And it is the book I had no idea I needed so badly until I was casually reading a passage on page 6 out loud to my husband and had to stop because I was choking up with emotion. It hit me so squarely between the eyes.
The writing is excellent. The blending of the author's own story with stories of the saints is excellent. The relatively unique message and call to holiness is, I think, so desperately needed. Books like this are why I am stingy with five star ratings - so when one comes along that has the power to alter my life long after I have finished reading it, it gets the recognition it is due.
December 20, 2024
A really thoughtful book on perfectionism, seeing ourselves through the eyes of God's unconditional love. The Heart of Perfection looks to the lives of the saints and scriptures for perspective and meditation.
August 17, 2023
A really great book! Every Catholic woman who sometimes is a perfectionist should read because it just kinda touches on everything.
December 5, 2024
Incredibly insightful and helpful. I will be carrying a lot from this book with me going forward. If you have a tendency to focus inwards a lot, be hyper critical with yourself, or any type of perfectionism or scrupulosity in your spiritual life this book is amazing!
October 25, 2025
Suuuuuch a good read. So pertinent and helpful and I came to know so much about the saints.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 112 reviews