---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The profit on a good action is to have…"
description: "\"The profit on a good action is to have done it.\" — Seneca the Younger"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/seneca-the-younger-219_action_the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-d_2759001.jpg"
---

#  The profit on a good action is to have done it.

![“The profit on a good action is to have done it.” quote by Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/seneca-the-younger-219_action_the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-d_2759001.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/seneca-the-younger-219_action_the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-d_2759001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/seneca-the-younger-219_action_the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-d_2759001.jpg)

> “The profit on a good action is to have done it.”

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Doing good deeds yields intrinsic reward; the act itself is its own profit.

**In simple terms:** Good actions are rewarding.

Key Takeaway

Value actions for their own sake.

Themes

ethics self‑improvement philosophy

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal decisions
- community service
- charitable giving

Key Concepts

Stoicism virtue ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- What motivates your good deeds?
- Can you act without expecting praise?

A Different Perspective

External rewards may still be desired.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeds/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-action/) [Good actions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-actions/) [Profit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profit/) [Profit Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profit-good-2338321/)

## Related quotes

> [To do an evil action is base; to do a good action without incurring danger is common enough; but it is the part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plutarch/to-do-an-evil-action-is-base-to-do-a-good-action-without-incurring/)

[Plutarch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plutarch/)

> [What we have to do is act as clearly and with as pure motivation as is possible now, and that will sow the seeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/what-we-have-to-do-is-act-as-clearly-and-with-as-pure-motivation-as/)

[Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/)

> [As in all Abercrombie's books, friends turn out to be enemies, enemies turn out to be friends; the line between good and evil is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/as-in-all-abercrombie-s-books-friends-turn-out-to-be-enemies-enemies/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [A good action is preferable to an argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/a-good-action-is-preferable-to-an-argument/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [In the performance of a good action, we not only benefit ourselves, but we confer a blessing upon others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/in-the-performance-of-a-good-action-we-not-only-benefit-ourselves-but/)

[Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/)

> [There's good action stars. I'm a bad-guy action star. What disappoints me is when you all of a sudden you get a good action…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinnie-jones/there-s-good-action-stars-i-m-a-bad-guy-action-star-what-disappoints/)

[Vinnie Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinnie-jones/)

> [Revenge is just a really good drive for drama and good action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-arden-oplev/revenge-is-just-a-really-good-drive-for-drama-and-good-action/)

[Niels Arden Oplev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-arden-oplev/)

> [There is sufficient reward in the mere consciousness of a good action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/there-is-sufficient-reward-in-the-mere-consciousness-of-a-good-action/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [He is incapable of truly good action who finds not a pleasure in contemplating the good actions of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/he-is-incapable-of-truly-good-action-who-finds-not-a-pleasure-in/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [Because revenge is a very known feeling in American culture, there's a certain element of an eye for an eye. There's the saying, 'Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-arden-oplev/because-revenge-is-a-very-known-feeling-in-american-culture-there-s-a/)

[Niels Arden Oplev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-arden-oplev/)

> [I really think next to the consciousness of doing a good action, that of doing a civil one is the most pleasing; and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/i-really-think-next-to-the-consciousness-of-doing-a-good-action-that/)

[Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/)

> [Reading is good, action is better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/reading-is-good-action-is-better/)

[Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/)

> [My Gita tells me that evil can never result from a good action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/my-gita-tells-me-that-evil-can-never-result-from-a-good-action/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [Whatever is done lovingly, with righteous purity and with peace of mind, is a good action. Everything which is done with the stain of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/whatever-is-done-lovingly-with-righteous-purity-and-with-peace-of/)

[Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/)

> [If a man has a right to be proud of anything, it is of a good action done as it ought to be, without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-sterne/if-a-man-has-a-right-to-be-proud-of-anything-it-is-of-a-good-action/)

[Laurence Sterne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-sterne/)

## More by Seneca the Younger

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [It is for the superfluous we sweat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/it-is-for-the-superfluous-we-sweat/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Men trust rather to their eyes than to their ears; the effect of precepts is therefore slow and tedious, whilst that of examples is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/men-trust-rather-to-their-eyes-than-to-their-ears-the-effect-of/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [A great step towards independence is a good-humored stomach, one that is willing to endure rough treatment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/a-great-step-towards-independence-is-a-good-humored-stomach-one-that/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Men can be divided into 2 groups: one that goes ahead and achieves something, and one that comes after and criticizes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/men-can-be-divided-into-2-groups-one-that-goes-ahead-and-achieves/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Leisure without study is death, and the grave of a living man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/leisure-without-study-is-death-and-the-grave-of-a-living-man/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Such as the chain of causes we call Fate, such is the chain of wishes: one links on to another; the whole man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/such-as-the-chain-of-causes-we-call-fate-such-is-the-chain-of-wishes/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [To rule yourself is the ultimate power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/to-rule-yourself-is-the-ultimate-power/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [The road by precepts is tedious, by example, short and efficacious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-road-by-precepts-is-tedious-by-example-short-and-efficacious/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Misfortune is the test of a person's merit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/misfortune-is-the-test-of-a-person-s-merit/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [He who does not want to die should not want to live. For life is tendered to us with the proviso of death. Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/he-who-does-not-want-to-die-should-not-want-to-live-for-life-is/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Let us not seek our disease out of ourselves; 'tis in us, and planted in our bowels; and the mere fact that we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/let-us-not-seek-our-disease-out-of-ourselves-tis-in-us-and-planted-in/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [After death there is nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/after-death-there-is-nothing/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Adversity finds at last the man whom she has often passed by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/adversity-finds-at-last-the-man-whom-she-has-often-passed-by/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [Hesitation is the best cure for anger. The first blows of anger are heavy, but if it waits, it will think again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/hesitation-is-the-best-cure-for-anger-the-first-blows-of-anger-are/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

[Explore all 872 Seneca the Younger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

## More Action quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/)

[Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/)

[Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/)

> [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/)

[Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

[Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The profit on a good action is to have done it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Seneca the Younger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-done-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Action"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-done-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/seneca-the-younger-219_action_the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-d_2759001.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/seneca-the-younger-219_action_the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-d_2759001.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/88d/seneca-the-younger-219_action_the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-d_2759001.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The profit on a good action is to have done it.” — Seneca the Younger",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Seneca the Younger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The profit on a good action...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-done-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-profit-on-a-good-action-is-to-have-done-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```