Best of all one's own decision

Best of all one's own decision is the final and emphatic part of a three-step saying spoken by Youkahainen. Moving from a father’s judgement, to a mother’s counsel, and finally to one’s own decision, the expression gives personal choice the highest place while retaining the value of family advice.

The Saying’s Progression

The wording ranks three kinds of guidance: “Good the judgement of a father,” “Better still, a mother's counsel,” and “Best of all one's own decision.” The repeated comparative structure makes the conclusion feel earned: the saying does not dismiss parents’ wisdom, but places the chooser’s own judgement above both forms of counsel. Its final phrase turns the comparison into a compact principle about responsibility for choice.

Dramatic Context

The poem identifies the words as Youkahainen’s. Immediately before the saying, he has spoken of turning another’s fingers, feet, and ankles to ice; immediately after it, he declares that he will face the minstrel and challenge him to sing in contest. The expression therefore stands at a point of decision: after invoking the counsel of parents in general terms, Youkahainen announces his own course of action.

Meaning and Function

The saying’s importance lies in its contrast between advice and action. Parental judgement and counsel remain meaningful, but neither substitutes for the decision of the person who must meet the consequences. In context, the principle is not an abstract maxim detached from the plot: it leads directly into Youkahainen’s stated intention to confront the minstrel, making personal choice the hinge between reflection and action.