Morning Muse 59 : Excellence is Integrity, Not Applause
Excellence is not about applause—it is about integrity. True perfection, as the Gita’s Karma Yoga teaches, lies in doing your work sincerely, not for the world to notice but as an offering to the Divine.
8/30/20251 min read
A German once visited a temple under construction and saw a sculptor chiseling an idol of God. Nearby lay another idol, almost identical. Curious, he asked:
“Why do you need two idols of the same kind?”
Without looking up, the sculptor replied:
“We need only one, but this one got damaged at the final stage.”
The visitor examined it closely and found no flaw.
“Where is the damage?” he asked.
“There’s a small scratch on the nose,” said the sculptor.
“But the idol will be placed twenty feet high. Who will ever notice such a tiny scratch?”
The sculptor paused, looked at him, and smiled:
“I will know it.”
True excellence is not about the world’s applause—it is about your own integrity and inner drive.
It is not for others to see, but for you to live.
So don’t climb a mountain for the world to watch you.
Climb it so you can see the world.
As the Gita teaches through Karma Yoga—perfection lies in action done with sincerity, not for recognition but as an offering to the Divine.