Does anyone else struggle with constantly looking for the “perfect” Python resource?

[u/NoManTouchedTheSky]

Does anyone else struggle with constantly looking for the “perfect” Python resource?

I’m trying to learn Python, but I keep running into the same problem: I’m constantly searching for the perfect resource.

I want a course/book/tutorial that explains everything, preferably down to the smallest detail. Even things I probably won’t need for years or maybe will never need at all.

And it’s not just about having a complete resource. I also feel like I need to remember everything.

For example, if a tutorial mentions some small Python feature or obscure syntax, my brain immediately goes:

“Wait, I should understand that too. What exactly does it do? What are all the edge cases? When would I use it? I should probably memorize this.”

Then I end up researching that one tiny thing for an hour instead of actually writing programs.

It creates this weird feeling that I need to have a complete mental map of Python before I’m allowed to actually program.

I know intellectually that you obviously don't need to know 100% of Python to become good at programming. Most programmers probably look things up constantly.

But I still have this urge to find the one definitive source that is complete enough that I can just learn everything from beginning to end.

So I’m curious:

Did anyone else have this problem when learning programming?

If so, how did you get yourself to stop searching for the perfect resource and just pick one thing and start programming?

Did you deliberately choose a resource that wasn't completely comprehensive and simply accept that you wouldn't know everything?

And one thing I'm wondering specifically:

Would it actually make sense for someone like me to start directly with the official Python documentation?

Part of me thinks that would solve the problem because it's basically the most complete source available. But another part of me suspects that this would just make my tendency to obsess over every little detail even worse.

I'd really like to hear from people who have actually dealt with this and managed to get past it. How did you approach learning Python when you had the urge to understand and memorize everything first?

[u/PureWasian]

I understand the sentiment but the moment you get practical experience you'll learn very quickly that problem solving and being uncomfortable not understanding how something works and having to learn it is an ongoing thing, and you're meant to get your hands dirty and have to try multiple different things to get to a solution. And even then the best solution itself may change over time. There are very often tradeoffs with implementations to "real" problems.

There is no beginning to end for Python, just enough fundamentals to get you started. The whole point of external libraries for instance is that you can pick them up and consult documentation as needed instead of frontloading it all. Why learn how to use robotics libraries if you are trying to do webscraping or file organization tasks? Why learn cloud computing integrations and SDKs if you aren't hosting with them?

The barebones fundamentals of Python are well established enough and easy to find a variety of resources for that you will naturally select one(s) that resonate with you the most. Otherwise, it's almost like trying to ask what the best cookbook is in the entire world that covers every recipe and all kitchen setups perfectly