> > As a British speaker of English, I would hesitate to use "had
> > better" in a context such as this. I would prefer to rephrase the
> > sentence completely.
> 
> Hm, really? Probably part of the difference between US and British
> English... What would you say?
Probably just me, actually. I can't say I use "had better" at all
frequently; it's fine for informal use but I don't like it in writing.
I'd probably go with one of Darren's suggestions, or something like,
"Achieving perfection can sometimes be costly."

> "Some things would better have been left 'imperfect'..."

> Would that be correct, or still clumsy?
I would change the word order to "Some things would have been better
left imperfect," but there's not much to choose between them.

-- 
I must study politics  and war  that my sons  may have  liberty to study
mathematics  and  philosophy.  My sons ought  to study  mathematics  and
philosophy... in order to give their children a right to study painting,
poetry, music, architecture, statuary, tapestry, and porcelain. J. Adams

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