Contrasting transient pleasures with lasting rewards
Nahj al-Balāgha|Volume 1|Book 3|Chapter 121
١٢١. وَقَالَ (عليه السلام): شَتَّانَ مَا بَيْنَ عَمَلَيْنِ: عَمَلٍ تَذْهَبُ لَذَّتُهُ وَتَبْقَى تَبِعَتُهُ، وَعَمَلٍ تَذْهَبُ مَؤُونَتُهُ وَيَبْقَى أَجْرُهُ.
121. Amīr al-mu’minīn, peace be upon him, said: What a difference there is between two kinds of actions: an act whose pleasure passes away but its (ill) consequence remains, and. the act whose hardship passes away but its reward stays.