"When you have done a good act and another has received it, why do you look for a third thing—reputation or payment?"

In 1955, Dr. Jonas Salk announced to the world that his team had successfully developed a vaccine for Polio. At the time, Polio was a terrifying plague that paralyzed thousands of children every year. Salk became an instant global hero.

Edward R. Murrow, a famous journalist, interviewed Salk and asked him, "Who owns the patent on this vaccine?" In the pharmaceutical industry, a patent for such a drug would have been worth billions of dollars. Salk could have become one of the richest men in history.

Salk replied, "Well, the people, I would say. There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" Salk gave the formula away for free. He wanted the vaccine to be distributed as quickly and cheaply as possible to save lives. He felt that the satisfaction of stopping the disease was the only reward he needed.

Marcus Aurelius warns us against looking for the "third thing." The first thing is the Action (you do good). The second thing is the Receipt (the person is helped). That should be the end of the transaction. The loop is closed. You acted according to your nature as a social being. You are healthy.

But our ego wants a "third thing." We want credit. We want a plaque with our name on it. We want money. We want the person to say thank you ten times. Marcus compares this to an eye asking for a reward for seeing, or feet asking for a reward for walking. They were designed to do those things. When they do them, they are fulfilled. You were designed to do good. When you do good, you are simply being a human. Asking for payment for being human is absurd.

Errors & Corrections

• Don't do good deeds just to post them on social media. If the only reason you helped the homeless person was to get a selfie, you didn't help them; you used them as a prop for your vanity.
• Don't get angry if no one says thank you. The thank-you is an external indifferent. The virtue of your action is internal and cannot be taken away by their ingratitude.
• Don't keep a ledger of favors. "I did this for him, so he owes me that." This turns friendship into a bank loan.

Applications to Modern Life

Work

You stayed late to fix a critical bug or finish a report. No one noticed. The boss didn't praise you. You feel resentful. Stop. Did you do the work well? Did you help the team? Then you have your reward. You maintained your own standard of excellence. If you rely on the boss's praise to feel good, you are a slave to their mood.

Interpersonal Relationships

You plan a surprise party for your partner. They enjoy it, but they don't seem "excited enough". You get mad. "I did all this work and you barely care!" You have ruined the good deed by demanding a specific emotional payment (the "third thing"). Enjoy the fact that you were loving enough to plan the party.

Social Media

Virtue signaling is the opposite of this quote. It is doing a small good act and screaming for a massive "third thing" (likes/shares). A Stoic does good in the dark. If the light finds them, fine. If not, the good remains.

Leadership

A servant leader helps their team succeed and lets the team take the credit. They don't need to be the hero in every story. They find satisfaction in seeing the team grow and the mission succeed.

Maxims

• The fruit is in the seed.
• Do good and move on.
• Don't invoice for kindness.

In-depth Concepts

Autoprax (Self-Acting/Intrinsic Value)

Virtue is autoprax: it carries its value within itself. It doesn't need an external consequence to be "good". If you save a drowning man and he turns out to be a criminal, your act was still good. The outcome is external. The intention and the action are the locus of moral worth.

The Social Function

Marcus often compares humans to bees or ants. A bee makes honey because it is a bee. It doesn't ask the hive for a medal. It just flies to the next flower. Marcus urges us to find this level of unselfconscious duty. "I have done a useful act? Then I have been benefited."