The Perfectionist Sculptor: Always Give Your Best

Value: Dedication, Self-worth, Right Conduct

Sub-Value Perfection

You can listen to this story on our podcast Sai at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1498462/11054409-the-perfectionist-sculptor

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!”

Learning

The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact of whether someone appreciates it or not. Excellence is a drive from the inside, not the outside. Excel at a task today – not necessarily for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction.
Source: http://academictips.org/blogs/the-perfectionist-sculptor