A gentleman once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No", said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but, the first one got damaged at the last stage "
The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" asked the gentleman. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol", said the sculptor, still busy with his work.
"Where are you going to install the idol?"
The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is at that elevation, who is going to notice that there's a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked.
The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I know it and God knows it!"
Moral -
The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not. Excellence is an intrinsic drive & not an extrinsic one. Excel at a task today - not necessarily for someone else to notice, but, for your own satisfaction.
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Source: Fwd Mail