We are commanded not to seek the praise of men – not to do good deeds to be seen of men or to receive reward of them. We are not to sound trumpets or announce our righteous acts from the housetop. Translated into the phrase of daily life, these injunctions would seem to mean that we are not to seek to have all our benevolent acts published in the newspapers. They would seem to mean that we should not desire publicity and human praise for every generous thing we do, every sacrifice we make, and every kindness we show. They seem, indeed, to imply that we should even take pains not to have our good deeds made known at all – that we should seek to perform them so silently and secretly that the world may never hear any report of them. When the motive is to receive praise of men or to exhibit our goodness, the act loses its beauty in God’s sight.