“Hence I have suggested that some knowledge of the propriety of composition is desirable, not so much that all our pictures may be surpassingly well composed as that we may keep safely clear of bad composition.”
A. Horsley Hinton
Practical Pictorial Photography Part One (1902)
Stephen G Hipperson 
A nice quote!
Thanks! Remembering the quote has saved a lot of wasted time looking for a perfect composition when there isn’t one or when it isn’t actually needed.
I guess it all depends also on the kind of photography you are doing at a given moment? I, for example, do a lot of street photography and that’s one kind you don’t get second chances if it is about people. You get it or you don’t… no multiple choice answers. The rest is often up to Lightroom and or Photoshop.
But what do you ‘get’? I think the Horsely Hinton is suggesting that good composition isn’t everything, but we should try to avoid bad composition if we can, but if we can’t…..