The Kotzker Rebbe: Becoming Better Than Yesterday

If you cannot be better than yourself, what are you?

Attribution printed on the image: Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk

A reflection on the teaching

The comparison in this saying is with ourselves. It directs attention away from competing with someone else's gifts and toward the work available to us. Becoming better may mean responding more patiently than last time, admitting a mistake sooner, or keeping one small commitment. That is easier to measure honestly than trying to become the most impressive person in the room. We can hold a clear standard without treating yesterday's shortcomings as our identity. What is one response I can improve today, using the abilities and circumstances I actually have?

Source note: The attribution above is transcribed from the image. The exact source and English wording have not been independently verified.