Better do a good deed near at home than go far away to burn incense.

The saying urges practical, immediate benevolence over conspicuous or distant displays of piety. “A good deed near at home” emphasizes helping those within one’s direct reach—family, neighbors, local community—rather than seeking moral credit through far-off, symbolic acts (“go far away to burn incense”). Read this way, it critiques performative virtue and redirects attention to concrete responsibility. Although often attributed to Amelia Earhart, the proverb-like structure and imagery suggest an older moral maxim rather than a remark tied to her aviation career; its significance in quotation culture is as a reminder that ethical action is measured by tangible help, not by dramatic gestures.