Citations › Citation ID: 43

C43. BOOK: Jens Andersen, The LEGO Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World’s Imagination (Mariner, 2022), p. 356.

Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen: "My grandfather’s motto has always caused us problems when we have to translate it into English. We simply haven’t found the right way of putting it, maybe because “too good” is very Jutish (the Danish phrase is “Det bedste er ikke for godt,” literally, “The best is not too good.” Since this implies something much more negative in English, it is usually translated as “Only the best is good enough”). For me personally, the words have always been a reminder that no matter what you have done and what you have achieved, you must never stop innovating. That, to me, is the truest interpretation of Granddad’s motto. Never forget to be creative and innovative! But I also know that there are many people who have interpreted it as a demand for an almost obsessive perfectionism, which I think is awful."
—Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen

Kjeld explaining the challenges with the company's motto: "Only the best is good enough".