Collection of quotes

[coralandpearls]

So long as the thoughts of an individual are scattered he will achieve no results, but if his thinking be concentrated on a single point wonderful will be the fruits thereof. One cannot obtain the full force of the sunlight when it is cast on a flat mirror, but once the sun shineth upon a concave mirror, or on a lens that is convex, all its heat will be concentrated on a single point, and that one point will burn the hottest. Thus is it necessary to focus one’s thinking on a single point so that it will become an effective force.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (via riversofengland)

[heteroglossia]

“To those who do not know that the world is on fire, I have nothing to say (Bertolt Brecht).” “To see someone who does not see is to be intensely aware of what he does not see (Roland Barthes).”

[coralandpearls]

The preservation of unity within the family, and the maintenance of a setting in which all members of the family may grow spiritually, requires moderation and restraint by all concerned. Family consultation is a vital element in the development of a sound relationship; the principles of consultation enumerated by the Master, including courtesy, respect for the views of others, and the full and frank expression of opinions, are applicable to relationships within the family as well as to the functioning of a Spiritual Assembly.

Letter written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, 2 January 1990 (via riversofengland)

[dropofanocean]

It is not merely material well-being that people need. What they desperately need is to know how to live their lives – they need to know who they are, to what purpose they exist, and how they should act towards one another; and, once they know the answers to these questions they need to be helped to gradually apply these answers to everyday behaviour.

~ The Universal House of Justice (19.11.1974)

[dropofanocean]

One of the signs of a decadent society, a sign which is very evident in the world today, is an almost frenetic devotion to pleasure and diversion, an insatiable thirst for amusement, a fanatical devotion to games and sport, a reluctance to treat any matter seriously, and a scornful, derisory attitude towards virtue and solid worth.

~ Written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice, 8 May, 1979

[dropofanocean]

`They hasten forward to Hell Fire, and mistake it for light.’

~Baha'u'llah

[lightofhome]

My dear sister, I have begun to realize lately that it is God’s wish that we should take on these earthly ties, and live simple, pure, beautiful lives, through His Mercy. Praying to Him that we shall love everybody, antagonize no one, speak ill of no nation, or individual, but simply try to love all, and serve all. Then, too, my dear sister, our Lord has shown me that to lose self is in a great measure, not to give our opinion of material things, and in ordinary conversation to listen, and not to antagonize people by placing our opinions against theirs, even if we are right; in fact, to suppress our desire to express our knowledge of places, people, and things in general, when it will not advance the Cause, and perhaps start an arguement. I have noticed that the greater portion of hatred of the world, is caused simply because people express their opinions, and if they are not agreed with immediately, discord and even hatred is created in their hearts. To lose myself in this way, my dear sister, I realize can only be done by the power of God and I pray Him for this earnestly and fervently. You, my dear sister, have through God’s love, been given this grace, and that wonderful sacrifice of self to others, and of listening to others.

in a letter from Thomas Breakwell to May Maxwell, Maxwells of Montreal, pp. 187-8 (via lightofhome)

[dropofanocean]

[mundowords]

“And now I give you a commandment which shall be for a covenant between you and Me – that ye have faith; that your faith be steadfast as a rock that no storms can move, that nothing can disturb, and that it endure through all things even to the end; even should ye hear that your Lord has been crucified, be not shaken in your faith; for I am with you always, whether living or dead, I am with you to the end. As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be. This is the balance - this is the balance – this is the balance.

‘Abdu’l-Baha in London

[mundowords]

Something greater than forgiveness she had shown in meeting the cruelties and strictures in her own life. To be hurt and to forgive is saintly, but far beyond this is the power to comprehend and not be hurt.

Marjory Morten’s description of Baha’u’llah’s daughter Bahiyyih Khanum, and her high state of spiritual attainment in dealing with pain

[mundowords]

Tests are a means by which a soul is measured as to its fitness and proven out by its own acts. God knows its fitness beforehand, and also its unpreparedness, but man, with an ego, would not believe himself unfit unless proof were given him.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Star of the West

[mundowords]

We must be patient with others, infinitely patient, but also with our own poor selves, remembering that even the Prophets of God sometimes got tired and cried out in despair . . . He urges you to persevere and add up your accomplishments, rather than to dwell on the dark side of things. Everyone’s life has both a dark and bright side.

Shoghi Effendi

[mundowords]

O God, my God! Lowly, suppliant and fallen upon my face, I beseech Thee with all the ardor of my invocation to pardon whosoever hath hurt me, forgive him that hath conspired against me and offended me, and wash away the misdeeds of them that have wrought injustice upon me. Vouchsafe unto them Thy goodly gifts, give them joy, relieve them from sorrow, grant them peace and prosperity, give them Thy bliss and pour upon them Thy bounty. Thou art the Powerful, the Gracious, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting!

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Will and Testament, p. 19

[coral]

The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.

Søren Kierkegaard (via a-witches-brew)

[lightofhome]

Live ye in such a manner that others may take your life as an example, and may say to each other: “Look! How they live like unto two doves in one nest with perfect love, affinity and harmony. It is as though God had kneaded from eternity the very essence of their beings for the love of each other.’

‘Abdu’l-Bahá (via lightofhome)

[mundowords]

One must judge of search by the standard of the Majnún of Love. It is related that one day they came upon Majnún sifting the dust, and his tears flowing down. They said, “What doest thou?” He said, “I seek for Laylí.” They cried, “Alas for thee! Laylí is of pure spirit, and thou seekest her in the dust!” He said, “I seek her everywhere; haply somewhere I shall find her.

Bahá’u’lláh, The Valley of Search, The Seven Valleys

[dropofanocean]

Once when a child asked Him why all the rivers of the earth flowed into the ocean He said: `Because it sets itself lower than them all and so draws them to itself.’ Pride repels, humility attracts.

~ George Townshend, A Study of a Christlike Character