Is one small deed done purely for Allah truly worth more than a hundred grand deeds done for people to see?

Yes. One small deed offered purely for Allah is worth more than a hundred grand deeds performed for the eyes of people. The reason is worth understanding, because once you see it, much of the anxiety about your own record falls away.

The principle sits at the very door of religion.

“Actions are but by intentions, and every person shall have only that which he intended.”

The Prophet (peace be upon him), Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim (Bukhari 1 / Muslim 1907a) · meaning

A deed is like a lamp, and the intention is the flame inside it. A great golden lamp with no flame gives no light at all, while a small clay lamp lit with sincerity fills the whole room. The hundred grand deeds done for people are golden lamps standing dark; the one deed done for Allah is the humble lamp that actually shines. Allah does not weigh the size of the vessel. He looks at the light burning inside it.

Notice too, how Allah Himself framed the purpose of our life and death. He did not say He created us to see who would pile up the most.

“He who created death and life to test which of you is best in deed.”

Qur’an, Al-Mulk 67:2 · meaning

Rest on that one word: best in deed, not most in deed. Allah is not measuring the harvest by the bushel. So the busiest life and the quietest life stand equal before Him, and a servant with little to show but a clean heart may go far ahead of the one whose deeds fill the eyes of the world. You do not have to do everything. You have to do one thing well, for Him alone.

One small step: Choose one small act today, a kind word, a quiet prayer, a coin given in secret, and offer it for Allah alone with no one else knowing.