Full Idea
It is not for the sake of the gods, my beloved, that the gods are worshipped, but for the sake of the Self (Atman).
Gist of Idea
The gods are not worshipped for their own sake, but for the sake of the Self
Source
Anon (Upan) (The Upanishads [c.950 BCE], 'Brihadaranyaka')
Book Reference
'The Upanishads', ed/tr. Prabhavananda /Manchester [Mentor 1957], p.87
A Reaction
There is an uneasy selfish streak in all religions, which conflicts with their exhorations to altruism, and to the love of the gods. It also occurs in the exhortation of Socrates to be virtuous. 'Pure' altruism seems only to arise in the 18th century.