For the magazine, see Excellence (magazine).

Excellence is the state or quality of excelling. It is superiority, or the state of being good to a high degree. Excellence is considered to be a value by many organizations, in particular by schools and other institutions of education^[1], and a goal to be pursued. Value is a term that expresses the concept of worth in general, and it is thought to be connected to reasons for certain practices, policies, or actions. ... A school is most commonly a place designated for learning. ...

However, according to Keathley^[2], the pursuit of excellence is "not to be a quest for superiority", and is not about "competition" or about "outstripping others", which is "usually done for one's own glory or significance or for the praise or applause of men". Instead, he quotes Harbour distinguishing between success and excellence, saying that "Success means being the best. Excellence means being your best. Success, to many, means being better than everyone else. Excellence means being better tomorrow than you were yesterday. Success means exceeding the achievements of other people. Excellence means matching your practice with your potential."

Keathley also asserts that the pursuit of excellence "should not be limited by the nature of the task" (i.e. that one should pursue excellence no matter how humble or menial one considers the task to be) and "works against a half-hearted, drift along or go-with-the-flow kind of mentality".

Kamali^[3] agrees, citing Muhammad in a hadith saying that "God loves it when a worker undertakes a work and he does it to perfection." Kamali states that thus "Perfection is manifest in artistic beauty and in human endeavour that seeks to achieve excellence. The pursuit of excellence is highly recommended at all times and places, be it in the home, in the neighbourhood or the mosque; indeed everywhere." Muhammad is a common Muslim male name. ... Hadith (Arabic: , Arabic pl. ...

References

1. ^  U.S. Department of Education (July 1995). "Excelling in Math and Science"
2. ^  J. Hampton Keathley, III. Mark #11: The Pursuit of Excellence. Marks of Maturity: Biblical Characteristics of a Christian Leader.  URL accessed on 2005-11-24 .
3. ^  Kamali, Mohamed Hashim: “Islam, iconography and the Taliban”, Al-Ahram Weekly, 2001-06-06.

2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... June 6 is the 157th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (158th in leap years), with 208 days remaining. ...

See also

• Excellent Cadavers
• Excellent Women
• Excellency