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Thy right is to work only, but never with its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive, nor let thy attachment be to inaction.

Your right is to the action alone, never to its fruits. Do not let the fruit of action be your motive, and do not cling to inaction.

This is among the most quoted verses of the Gita. Krishna tells Arjuna that his rightful concern is with action (karma) itself, never with its fruits. He should not make the result the motive for acting, and he should not fall into attachment to inaction either. The verse balances two dangers: acting only for reward, and refusing to act at all. It lays the foundation for the Gita's teaching on selfless action, where one does what is right without being bound to the outcome.