Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.6

One man, when he has done a service to another, is ready to set it down to his account as a favor conferred.

Another is not ready to do this, but still in his own mind he thinks of the man as his debtor, and he knows what he has done.

A third in a manner does not even know what he has done, but he is like a vine that has produced grapes, and seeks for nothing more after it has once produced its proper fruit.

As a horse when he has run, a dog when he has tracked the game, a bee when it has made the honey, so a man when he has done a good act, does not call out for others to come and see, but he goes on to another act, as a vine goes on to produce again the grapes in season.

Must a man then be one of these, who in a manner act thus without observing it? Yes, but this very thing is necessary, the observation of what a man is doing. For, it may be said, it is characteristic of the social animal to perceive that he is working in a social manner, and indeed to wish that his social partner also should perceive it.

It is true what you say, but you do not rightly understand what is now said. And for this reason you will become one of those of whom I spoke before, for even they are misled by a certain show of reason. But if you will choose to understand the meaning of what is said, do not fear that for this reason you will omit any social act.

—Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 5 (tr Long)

The good or bad within my actions will come not only from what I do, but also from the disposition with which I do it. Merit is not only in the deed, but also in its relationship to the doer.

Some people will expect payment for an act of kindness, which, of course, ceases to make it a kindness. It is actually a transaction. I should be able to recognize such people immediately, because they will always attach conditions to the giving of their gifts, which now makes them investments, and terms for their promises, which now makes them contracts.

When the good of another becomes a means for my own profit, this is no longer really a good deed.

Other people may not demand any external compensation in return, so I may more readily think of this as an expression of sincerity. I should not so quickly deceive myself. They are also seeking something else in return, an internal sense of thinking well of themselves, of self-praise, of importance and superiority, It is what my great-grandmother used to call “lording it over” someone.

When the goal is gratification instead of service, this still isn’t really a good deed.

There are people, however, for whom the goodness of the act is itself its own purpose, where action and intention are in complete convergence. They do what they should do, because it fulfills their very nature, and is for the benefit of all of Nature. I can recognize such people because they do not need recognition. They are content to simply produce good and abundant fruit.

When the deed is rightly done, nothing more is required. One gladly moves forward to the next opportunity to be of service.

Marcus Aurelius offers a qualification here, however, so that we do not misunderstand. The horse will run, the dog will hunt, and the vine will produce fruit from instinct, with no conscious reflection on those actions. They do not know what they are doing in the same way that human beings do, and they are simply moved to do so. Human nature, however, adds the power of reason into the mix.

I should certainly do well for only its own sake, seeking no further reward or gratification. Yet this does not mean that I should not be aware of what I do and why I do it, or that others should not be aware of what I do and why I do it. The good sought for itself does not exclude a perception of that good, as is so fitting and necessary for all human action.

Simply put, because I should never do good only so that it can be observed, does not mean I and others should not observe that I am doing good. Humility is not the same thing as ignorance, and while a man should always be humble, he should never be ignorant.

Be like the vine that produces good fruit without expecting anything in return, but be more than the vine in perceiving how and why it is good fruit.

Written in 3/2006