Expert: Ted Nesbitt - 11/15/2006

Question
At the Martin Luther King ground breaking ceremony Monday Nov. 13,2006 one speaker quoted from a poem The line I remember was "If you can't be a tree, be a bush, but the best and fullest little bush on the hillside"
Can you help with identification of the poem and author. Thank-you.

Answer
Dear Barb:

BE THE BEST OF WHATEVER YOU ARE

I can remember this poem being recited when I was in grade school, and you don't want to know when that was.  For years, people have tried to pinpoint the actual author, but no one has been successful -- and I have had this question many times.  The poetry anthologies and indexes that I have consulted give credit to "Anonymous."  [I believe that one of its many versions has actually been set to music.]

However, by making very "slight" changes, some rather unscrupulous people have claimed it as their own work -- and you will find them all over the internet.  By changing "shrub" to "scrub," one person claims he wrote it!

I am pasting in below the best sources that I have typed from our print material AND some internet resources that you can check out yourself.

Martin Luther King used lines from the poem in several speeches he gave.  He NEVER claimed to have written the poem, but other people have DECIDED that he did.  He did not.  It was in existence long before King was born.

Here is one complete version of the poem:

BE THE BEST OF WHATEVER YOU ARE

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill,
Be a shrub in the valley---but be
The best little shrub at the side of the hill;
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
We can't all be captains,
We've got to be crew.
There's something for all of us here;
There is big work to do, and there's lesser to do
And the task we 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 the size that you win or you fail---
Be the best of whatever you are.

Anonymous

*************

Here is one of the "many" take-offs of the poem:

Be the Best You Can Be

Douglas Malloch

If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill, Be a scrub in the valley - but be The 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 we 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!

********

"The Seattle Times" has listed several speeches in which MLK used lines from the poem, encouraging people to strive for excellence:

<http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/mlk/king/words/blueprint.html>


Of Excellence

One should seek to do his life's work as if God Almighty called him at this particular moment in history to do it. And he must do it with a sense of cosmic responsibility, no matter how small it happens to be. He must do a little job in a big way. He must do an ordinary job in an extraordinary way. "If you can't be a pine on the top of a hill, be a scrub in the valley, but be the best little scrub on the side of the hill. Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be the sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or you fail. Be the best of whatever you are."
Speech, Chicago Sunday Evening Club.
March 1965

If it falls your lot to sweep streets, sweep them like Michelangelo painted pictures, like Shakespeare wrote poetry, like Beethoven composed music.
Dallas Morning News

We must skillfully and intellectually prepare ourselves to live in an integrated society. Whatever you choose as your life work, do it well. Don't be content with sheer mediocrity. Do your job so well that nobody could do it better. Do it so well that all the hosts of Heaven and Earth will have to say, "Here lived a man who did his job as if God Almighty called him at this particular moment in history to do it."

***********

Here is another reference and another speech in a different city:

On August 11, 1956, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech in Buffalo called "The Birth of a New Age".

Part of that speech goes as follows:

"We need more people who are competent in all areas and always remember that the important thing is to do a good
job. No matter what it is. Whatever you are doing consider it as something having cosmic significance, as it is
a part of the uplifting of humanity. No matter what it is, no matter how small you think it is, do it right. As
someone said, do it so well that the living, dead, or the unborn could do it no better. If your son grows up to be a
street cleaner, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry, sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, 'here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well'. If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill be a shrub on the side, but be the best shrub on the side of the hill. Be a bush if you can't be a tree, if you can't be a highway be a trail, if you can't be the sun be a star. It isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are...”

*********

And, finally, from the Stanford University collection of the papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. --

From the “Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.”
Volume IV: Symbol of the Movement,
January 1957- December 1958
"Facing the Challenge of A New Age," Address Delivered at NAACP Emancipation Day Rally
1 January 1957
Atlanta, Ga.

There are so many areas, I could name so many areas that we've got to go out in and be prepared for. And then we've got to get ready in this new age to compete with people. And when you get ready for that you don't worry about losing your job in the new age, you see. You see, teachers don't worry about the emerging new age when they are prepared for the emerging new age. If you are prepared you will come to see that you are going to be a good teacher, not a good Negro teacher. Don't go out in this new age to be a good Negro doctor, a good Negro lawyer, a good Negro minister or preacher, a good Negro skilled laborer. But go out to do a good job irregardless of race, (Yeah) for we will be forced now to compete with people. And then decide to do your job well, whatever it is. As I used to hear Dr. [Benjamin] Mays say at Morehouse College, "Do your job so well that the living, the dead, or the unborn could do it no better. [laughter] Do it well. If it falls your lot to sweep streets in life, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures. Sweep streets like Beethoven composed music. Sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say, 'Here lived a great street sweeper, who swept his job well.'" [applause]
If you can't be a pine on the top of the hill
Be a shrub in the valley, but be
the best shrub on the side of the hill.
Be a bush if you can't be a tree.
If you can't be a highway, 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. (Amen)
And when you do that [applause], when you do that, you're ready for the new age. (Yes)

****

I hope that this hasn't been too confusing, but your original question asked for the poem and its author.

I have given you the "best" of many variations of the poem, but its author remains "anonymous."

Ted Nesbitt