The good is the enemy of the best
No one knows for certain who said, "The good is the enemy of the best," but the line is usually attributed to Voltaire who, along with Ben Franklin, Shakespeare and the Bible, seems to be the source of most great lines. It has been quoted and paraphrased many times but I first encountered it when a friend, a retired veterinarian, sent me on a wild quotation chase. It was like directing a person to Washington only to find out the actual destination should have been Idaho. "Oops, sorry," would have sufficed except he was laughing too hard to apologize. I have been trying unsuccessfully ever since then to get even. Veterinarians are tough nuts to crack.
I wish I had known that line when I was teaching the arts; it describes perfectly what great artists often do - destroy good works for reasons not discernible to us mortals. I once watched internationally known potter Don Reitz crush a pot during a workshop in the Northern Arizona University Art Gallery; it was not up to his standards. I thought that pot as valuable as my first born though Jennifer has added considerably to her value as she has matured. Maybe my second born...
Arra Garab, mentioned in this column previously, was a scholar of the Irish poet, W. B. Yeats, and once told our class that Yeats had discarded enough good lines to make the reputation of another poet. Thinking that claim extravagant, I checked; Dr. Garab was correct. Yeats cut hundreds of really good lines from his poems because they were not his best lines. Some were as close to perfect as I could imagine but they did not do what Yeats wanted them to do in a particular context.
Michael Ritchie, the director of "Downhill Racer," a Hollywood ski movie starring Robert Redford and Gene Hackman, once narrated a documentary about filmmaking. He showed out-takes that ended up on the cutting room floor; all were great footage but, as Ritchie said, did not tell the story as he wanted it told. Very good segments of film are the enemy of the best segments of film; speed and expense are not nearly as important as quality, Ritchie demonstrated.
Most artists will not sell their second rate works; they prefer to destroy them. They recognize their good efforts are the enemies of their best efforts. It is almost like a war pitting the great against the not so great. Artists could easily become satisfied with what pleases but does not reach their personal standards of achievement. With all due respect, I still wish I had that Don Reitz pot on my living room mantel.
The good is the enemy of the best in arenas way beyond the arts. In food preparation, for example, I have begun to spend more money to obtain higher quality ingredients. Chances are no one but the cook noticed the carrots in my lamb stew came from the Farmers' Market in Hayden; they had more flavor than their counterparts at the supermarket. I order some spices from Penzey's in Wisconsin. I doubt anyone can tell the difference but I think their vinaigrette mix and bouquet garni are better than I have found locally. The McCormick versions are good but Penzey's are best.
My wife, if she wrote this column, would probably be plugging Subarus and Best Foods Mayonnaise; she thinks all other automobiles and sandwich spreads are enemies of the best. She might even be right. All I know is that I now drive a Subaru and have not bought a jar of Miracle Whip in years.
Tim Hunt, the son of a linotype operator, is a retired college professor and nonprofit administrator who lives in Hayden with his wife and three cats. He can be reached at linotype.hunt785@gmail.com.