The Best is Good Enough

James Whitcomb Riley 1849 (Greenfield) – 1916 (Indianapolis)



I quarrel not with destiny,
But make the best of everything-
The best is good enough for me.

Leave discontent alone, and she
Will shut her mouth and let you sing.
I quarrel not with destiny.

I take some things, or let 'em be-
Good gold has always got the ring;
The best is good enough for me.

Since fate insists on secrecy,
I have no arguments to bring-
I quarrel not with destiny.

The fellow that goes 'haw' for 'gee'
Will find he hasn't got full swing.
The best is good enough for me.

One only knows our needs, and he
Does all of the distributing.
I quarrel not with destiny:
The best is good enough for me.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 14, 2023

36 sec read
73

Quick analysis:

Scheme AbA abA abA abA abA abAA
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 599
Words 121
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4

James Whitcomb Riley

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and "Children's Poet" for his dialect works and his children's poetry respectively. more…

All James Whitcomb Riley poems | James Whitcomb Riley Books

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