Work For Yourself

Ibn al-Jawzi mentions a proverb of the ancients:

وذكر الحكماء في أمثالهم قالوا :
قيل للذئب ما بالك تعدو أسرع من الكلب
فقال لأني أعدو لنفسي والكلب يعدو لصاحبه.
A wolf was asked: “How is it that you can run faster than a dog?”
The wolf said: “Because I run for my own sake, and the dog runs for the sake of its owner.”

[“Kitab al-Adhkiyaa”, 1/115].

Meaning: If you do something for yourself, you will do it better. Nobody will do your work for you with the same level of dedication as you would.