# Excellence is... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 21, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649 "2005-09-21T03:05:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/1 "2005-09-21T03:05:01Z")
Excellence is: Being there for those in need. Coming through on your promises. Showing up with the pizza in a box made of beer cans full of cold brewski. On time. What does excellence mean to you? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/2 "2005-09-21T13:55:05Z")
A magazine about Porsches. ---
**Author:** ![electrozion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/85f322/32.png) [@electrozion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/electrozion)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/3 "2005-09-21T14:45:38Z")
A [font.](http://www.itfgrafikdesign.com/english/pages/kat1_portfolio_type.php?kategorie=1&subkategorie=3&clientnr=1&work=type_1&sample=1) ---
**Author:** ![ArrMatey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrmatey/32/3522_2.png) [@ArrMatey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ArrMatey)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/4 "2005-09-21T14:54:22Z")
OPening the email that says, “Arr, I know no one else who can find this for me…” And five minutes later having found it and six other pieces of suplemental information that they were looking for. ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/5 "2005-09-21T18:56:45Z")
Doing the right thing because it’s the right thing to do. Doing more than the minimum required. Not “basically the same” as mediocrity (some people confuse the two). The way Yo-Yo Ma plays the Bach suite in G major. The look on the face of a 4-year-old who is excited to see you. ---
**Author:** ![Tracy\_Lord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@Tracy\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tracy_Lord)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2005, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/6 "2005-09-21T20:38:19Z")
> [@ArrMatey!](#): > > OPening the email that says, “Arr, I know no one else who can find this for me…” At first I thought you were in the habit of receiving email from pirates. 🙂 I don’t mean for this to be witnessing (or whatever you want to call it), but the first thing that jumped into my head was “Excellence is Tao.” ---
**Author:** ![St\_Ides](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@St\_Ides](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St_Ides)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/7 "2005-09-22T05:33:51Z")
The state, quality, or condition of excelling; superiority. ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/8 "2005-09-22T10:25:03Z")
Pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, and not falling. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/9 "2005-09-22T11:09:24Z")
Adding the extra 1% that others don’t bother with ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/excellence-is/322649/10 "2005-09-22T11:10:09Z")
Doing things the hard way. _Because_ it’s the hard way. Doing something because it’s worth doing. Or, sometimes, because it’s _not_ worth doing. Not always synonymous with goodness, or greatness, or happiness, or success. Its own reward, a lot of the time.