Why not the best?

Why not the best? by CARTER, Jimmy. hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780805455823.

When a little-known former Southern Governor named Jimmy Carter decided to seek the Presidency, he wrote, "Why Not the Best?" as a means of letting voters know who he was and his sense of values. The title comes from a question Admiral Rickover asked him during a job interview, following his graduation from the Naval Academy. "Did you do your best?" Rickover asked. Carter initially answered "yes sir" but after some thought said, "no sir, I didnt always do my best." Describing the scene years later, Carter writes, "He asked one final question which I have never been able to forget-or to answer. He said, "Why not?"