To Settle or Not to Settle.

There is a  negative connotation when it comes to the word "settling". For most of us, when we think of this word we see hopelessness, we think it's less than we deserve, we get a feeling of being stuck. But what if we all have this unrealistic view of what life should be like? Is there a difference between what we deserve vs what we see for ourselves in our dreams? Below are some quotes that fit nicely with the 'never settle for less' mindset, but then below is a link to an interesting piece from Lori Gottlieb called Marry Him! The case of settling for Mr. Good Enough. I encourage you to read both with an open mind and possibly redefine the word of settling. 

Sometimes I drop things and am too lazy to pick them up. Like pencils. Or my hopes and dreams.
-Njena.tumblr.com

"31 percent of adult men said they’d commit to a person they were not in love with—as long as as she had all the other attributes they were looking for in a mate—and 21 percent said they'd commit under those same circumstances to somebody they weren't sexually attracted to. The equivalent numbers for women were far lower."
-Bennett J. (The Daily Beast; http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/02/21/why-men-are-settling-for-mrs-good-enough.html)


“You can let more people into the mix who could possibly make you happy. Or you can hold out for that two percent of men who you assume meet your requirements, and hope that coincidentally, someone in that two percent feels that you're in his two percent. And even then, the people you assume to meet your requirements might in fact not be the right fit for you.”  
-Lori Gottlieb (Marry Him! The case of settling for Mr. Good Enough;
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2008/03/marry-him/306651/)

So what do you think? To settle, or not to settle?