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?"
he asked."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 that far, who is going to know that there is 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!"
The desire to excel should be
exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not.
“Excellence” is a drive from inside, not outside. Excel at a task
today - not necessarily for someone else to notice but for your own
satisfaction.