Virtue is its own reward

The only reward of virtue is virtue' says Emerson. 'It is self-ennobling and self-gratifying, because, one's outlook is a part of one's virtue,' It is an end in itself and a living monument bequeathed to posterity. That is why men of virtue feel a sense of satisfaction at their own noble deeds, even if the world jeers at them or pelts stones at them. All other rewards are material and mortal. Their decoration carry an air of artificiality about them and cannot give a sense of divine satisfaction. Virtue may dwell in rags of penury, and may be found wanting as royal palaces. Rather, it is entombed in simplicity and austerity, as it shuns glamor and posterity.