Dijkstra distinguishes between doing worthwhile work and pursuing the recognition that may follow from it. If praise, status or awards become the objective, they can influence which problems a person chooses and how success is judged. He instead treats recognition as possible evidence that valuable work has been noticed, rather than as the reason for undertaking it.

The quotation is principally about motivation. It contrasts an external reward with an internal standard based on the quality and significance of the work itself. Recognition may still matter, but Dijkstra argues that it should remain secondary to the underlying purpose.

In the context of advice to a young scientist, the remark encourages researchers to judge their efforts by intellectual merit rather than visibility or prestige. More broadly, it can apply whenever external approval threatens to become the main measure of achievement.