This article considers how a contribution based on Rorty's philosophy can help in the understanding of quality and its assurance in higher education. The suggestion is that if quality has an edifying purpose, then it should be seen as an ongoing process and might be aptly judged as being just "good enough". This position is argued for it promotes democracy and thus justifies a position of belief in the liberal values and tolerance at the core of higher education's resistance to the new "value for money" imperative for surveillance of quality.