Geprodito Gutompuri made it a habit to list down all his good deeds. After he died, the angels guided his soul before the Throne of Judgement. Confidently, he faced the Lord and took out his list of good good works.

“My Lord,” said Geprodito Gutompuri, “I respectfully submit the list of all the good deeds I have done while I was on earth.”

Beaming, he handed his list to the Lord. His good works numbered fifty thousand.

The Lord took out his own list and compared it to Gutompuri’s. The Judge shook his head, looked sternly on Gutompuri, and said, “By my list you have performed only one good work, not fifty thousand. You cannot enter heaven yet. You must spend a million years in purgatory.”

“What?” exclaimed Geprodito. “How can that be? What about my other forty-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine good deeds?”

“Gutompuri.” explained the Lord patiently, “a bad intention cancels out good deeds. You performed those good deeds not for my sake but for yours. You wanted to hear yourself praised by men and women. Thus, your supposed forty-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine good works are in reality forty-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine acts of pride.”

With his head bowed low, Gutompuri was led away by the angels from the Throne of Judgement.