Wisdom from the Torah.

"The liberated tzaddik cares nothing for the opinions of his contemporaries. The tzaddik operates as a holy channel for the divine will. Often tzaddikim are not fully appreciated by the society at large until they are physically unavailable; this is true of many blessings in our lives. We tend to appreciate them after we have lost them. Holiness includes appreciating others in our lives. If we are unappreciative of others, others will be upappreciative of us. The danger in unholy spiritual living is the tendency to perform the mitzvot for purposes of self-aggrandizement, or so that others will notice us and think highly of us. The tzaddik does not live this way. Every time we think about what we will get in return, we miss out on holiness, and the positive energies of our mitsvot slip through our hands."

Dr Gabriel Cousens, Torah as a guide to Enlightenment.