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Spartan Surfers

1877–1938

Douglas Malloch

American poet who wrote for the lumber trade and was known as the poet of the woods. His poems "Good Timber" and "Be the Best of Whatever You Are" were collected in 1926.

8 sourced lines

Every line we carry

Each one links to its source, what it means, and the shirt in any of our looks.

  1. Good timber does not grow in ease.

    Malloch was a lumber-trade poet, and he knew wood. A tree that never had to fight for light stays scrubby. Strength is grown under strain; if things are hard right now, the grain is getting tighter.

    "Good Timber" (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926), Original English (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926)

  2. The stronger wind, the tougher trees.

    Trees on a windy ridge grow dense, hard wood. Malloch says people do the same. The hardest seasons build the strongest version of you, so do not wish the wind away.

    "Good Timber" (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926), Original English (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926)

  3. The more the storm, the more the strength.

    A simple trade: storm in, strength out. You cannot pick the weather, but you can let it make you stronger. Next time it blows, treat it as training.

    "Good Timber" (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926), Original English (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926)

  4. The tree that never had to fight never became a forest king.

    The tree with easy rain and open sky lived and died small. Malloch says the same about a man who never had to toil for his share. Comfort is pleasant, but it does not make kings.

    "Good Timber" (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926), Original English (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926)

  5. Broken branches show the scars of many winds.

    The oldest trees in the forest carry broken limbs and old wounds. Scars are what a long, full life looks like. Wear yours as evidence that you stayed standing.

    "Good Timber" (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926), Original English (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926)

  6. Can't be a pine on the hilltop? Be the best scrub in the valley.

    Not everyone gets the top of the hill. Malloch says it does not matter: be the best scrub by the stream. Excellence is about how you fill your place, not how high it is.

    "Be the Best of Whatever You Are" (1926), Original English (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926)

  7. Be the best of whatever you are.

    Highway or trail, sun or star: the role is not the measure. What counts is whether you are the best at the thing you are. Stop comparing size and start raising your standard.

    "Be the Best of Whatever You Are" (1926), Original English (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926)

  8. We can't all be captains, some have to be crew.

    A boat needs one captain and a good crew. Malloch says there is big work and little work, and both matter. Be proud of your post and do it well.

    "Be the Best of Whatever You Are" (1926), Original English (Be the Best of Whatever You Are, 1926)