Do you ever question your own motives?

Examine your motives always.

Do not say, “I ought to do this act, for such and such a reason, therefore, I do it, for that reason.”

Such argument is self-deception.

If you do a kind act, ask yourself why. Perhaps you can find even in a kind action a hidden motive of self-seeking. If you should find such a motive, do not deny it to yourself. Acknowledge it to yourself, though you need not advertise it on the walls of your dwelling.

Such a secret understanding will give you a greater sympathy and comprehension in judging the motives of others.

—The Judge