The Good, Better, Best Chant › Quotes

The "Good, Better, Best" Quote: Text, Cards and the Right Credit

Both wordings, ready to copy. Cards you can download. And the credit line that is actually true.

The quote

There are two standard wordings. The traditional one is what most quote pages carry; the Bears' version is what you'll hear in the clips.

Traditional

The Bears' version

Tim Duncan's version

Every variant, and which one to use where, is on the words page.

Who to credit

Not St. Jerome, not Tim Duncan, not Thomas Hardy. The rhyme is a traditional English saying in print since at least 1897, author unknown. Duncan quoted it for his whole career and credited his mother. The full evidence is on who really said it. A credit line you can use:

Quote cards

Free to download and share. Navy and orange, no logos, no team names.

Printable posters for a wall are on the coaches page.

Using the quote

• In a speech or toast: say it once, name the "good" you're celebrating, name one "better," say it again. The frame is on what it means.
• In a classroom: the traditional wording, credited "Traditional." The misattribution is itself a good lesson.
• On a wall or a shirt: free to print; it's a public-domain proverb. Team names, logos and league marks are not, so leave those off.
• As a tattoo: people do, and the attribution question matters more when it's permanent. See the tattoo page.

FAQ