A German 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 will know it."
The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates
it or not. "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside. Excellence is not for
someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction and efficiency...
