If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,Be a scrub in the valley — but beThe best little scrub by the side of the rill;Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass,And some highway happier make;If you can't be a muskie then just be a bass —But the liveliest bass in the lake!We can't all be captains, we've got to be crew,There's something for all of us here,There's big work to do, and there's lesser to do,And the task you must do is the near.If you can't be a highway then just be a trail,If you can't be the sun be a star;It isn't by size that you win or you fail —Be the best of whatever you are!Douglas Malloch (1877-1938) was an American poet, short story writer, and associate editor of American Lumberman, an adventure magazine connected with Edgar Rice Burroughs. Some have commented that his philosophy was one of "contentment." Some of his often cited comments echo with wisdom today and reflect that life philosophy of contentment, being satisfied with one's lot in life: "The biggest liar in the world is They say," which comments hugely on the "unnamed source" and "experts" mentioned in the daily news today, and "Courage is to feel the daily daggers of relentless steel and keep on living," which reflects the simple advice, "persevere." His wife, Helen Miller Malloch, was a newswoman who gained fame in her own right as founder of the National Association of Presswomen.
