O Son of Spirit! My first counsel is this: Possess a pure,
kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable
and everlasting.
Mankind in its entirety must firmly adhere to whatsoever
hath been revealed and vouchsafed unto it. Then and only then will it attain
unto true liberty.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
Material civilization is like unto the lamp, while spiritual
civilization is the light in that lamp.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk on 14 April
1912, Church of the Ascension, New York; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace:
Talks Delivered by 'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and
Canada in 1912’)