The reward of a thing well done is to have done it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Essays: Second Series, 'New England Reformers' (1844)
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When and why it was written
- When
- Delivered as a lecture in 1844 and published the same year.
- Why
- Emerson was addressing reformers who measured their work by its reception.
What it means
A closed loop, stated as a rule. The doing is the payment, and nothing further is owed to you.
Emerson's target is the arrangement where good work is done as an invoice for recognition. Once that invoice exists, the work is hostage to whether it gets paid.
Read the source
Essays: Second Series, 1844
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Your turn
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