We're the Very Best There Is

And we suck.

I have a friend who collects what he calls "Boeverisms." Today we were talking and he said he can't put his favorite Boeverism on his blog. I asked him what that quote was and he said:

We're the very best there is, and we suck.

I have to admit this is one of my current favorites as well. There seem to be so many occasions for which the statement is appropriate. So I ask him why he can't put this on his blog and he says "I don't want it to be too negative."

A little bit this surprised me. I've never really seen that statement as negative. I mean I guess I can see how it isn't particularly celebratory, but I also don't think it is a downer. At most I guess for someone that is particularly optimistic it could be a wet blanket. That for someone that thinks they are doing the very best that perhaps that isn't an accurate assessment.

I think the root of the thing is a positive statement. I mean it does start out "We are the very best there is." it is hard to get much more positive than that. The next part is very much "but don't let it go to your head."

The true heart of the statement is that in most cases no matter how well you are doing there is room for improvement, that you can always do better. I think you could also look at it as saying that even if you are right on target at the moment, that the frame of reference is dynamic and you have to stay on your game to stay at the top. There's also an element in there that you should judge yourself against an absolute scale rather than just against your competition: that even if you are the best, that doesn't automatically say you are any good.

I guess I can see how people might hear negativity in there. What I hear is reality.