We have decorated this temple not for our sense gratification but for Krsna’s pleasure. What is the difference between us and ordinary people? They are decorating their apartment very nicely, and we are decorating our place very nicely — but the purpose is different. We are doing it for Krsna, and they are doing it for themselves. Whether you decorate your personal apartment or Krsna’s temple, your superiority over matter remains, since you are utilizing matter for your purposes. But when you apply your intelligence toward utilizing matter for Krsna’s pleasure, your life is successful, whereas when you apply the same intelligence for your sense gratification, you become entangled in material nature and feel anxiety.

From The Laws of Nature, Chapter 1, based on an extract from  Srila Prabhupada’s lecture on Sri Isopanisad, Mantra 1 — April 30, 1970, Los Angeles