These children are even as young plants, and teaching them the prayers is as letting the rain pour down upon them, that they may wax tender and fresh, and the soft breezes of the love of God may blow over them, making them to tremble with joy.
- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (‘Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá’)
(Star of the West, vol.16, no. 5, August 1925)
Glory be unto Thee, O Lord my God! Nothing whatsoever escapeth Thy knowledge, nor is there anything that could slip from Thy grasp, or anything that could thwart Thy Purpose, whether in the heavens or on the earth, of the past or of the future.
Thou seest Paradise and the inmates thereof; Thou beholdest the realm below and the dwellers thereof. All are but Thy servants and are held within Thy grasp.
- The Báb (‘Selections
from the Writings of the Báb)
- The Báb (‘Selections from the Writings of the Báb)
The method of Shoghi Effendi in writing God Passes By was to sit down for a year and read every book of the Bahá'í Writings in Persian and English, and every book written about the Faith by Bahá'ís, whether in manuscript form or published, and everything written by non-Bahá'ís that contained significant references to it. I think, in all, this must have covered the equivalent of at least two hundred books. As he read he made notes and compiled and marshalled his facts. Anyone who has ever tackled a work of an historical nature knows how much research is involved, how often one has to decided, in the light of relevant material, between this date given in one place and that date given in another, how back-breaking the whole work is. How much more so then was such a work for the Guardian who had, at the same time, to prepare for the forthcoming Centenary of the Faith and make decisions regarding the design of the superstructure of the Báb's Shrine. When all the ingredients of his book had been assembled Shoghi Effendi commenced weaving them into the fabric of his picture of the significance of the first century of the Bahá'í Dispensation. It was not his purpose, he said, to write a detailed history of those hundred years, but rather to review the salient features of the birth and rise of the Faith, the establishment of its administrative institutions, and the series of crises which had propelled it forward in a mysterious manner, through the release of the Divine power within it, from victory to victory. He revealed to us the panorama of events which, he wrote, "the revolution of a hundred years...has unrolled before our eyes" and lifted the curtain on the opening acts of what he asserted was one "indivisible, stupendous and sublime drama, whose mystery no intellect can fathom, whose climax no eye can even dimly perceive, whose conclusion no mind can adequately foreshadow."
For nine months I have been touring America, calling the people to the oneness of humanity. I have delivered addresses in churches and large assemblies in many cities, inviting the people to the oneness of mankind and to love and unity. The people of America extended a cordial welcome to me. In fact, Americans are a noble nation, with capacity to acquire every virtue and investigate every truth.
Since I shall leave your shores tomorrow, I bid you farewell. I pray that divine confirmations, heavenly glory and eternal life may be granted to you, so that you may reach the highest pinnacles of the world of man. I am most grateful to you and shall never forget you. I shall ever supplicate at the court of the Almighty and beg divine assistance and heavenly bounty for you.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, December 4, New York, recorded by Mahmud Zarqani, His a secretary and chronicler during His travels in the West; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)
Magnified be Thy name, O Lord my God! Thou art He Whom all things worship and Who worshipeth no one, Who is the Lord of all things and is the vassal of none, Who knoweth all things and is known of none.
- Baha’u’llah (Prayes and Meditations by Baha’u’llah)
O my well-beloved, deeply spiritual sister! [the Greatest
Holy Leaf] Day and night thou livest in my memory. Whenever I remember thee my
heart swelleth with sadness and my regret groweth more intense. Grieve not, for
I am thy true, thy unfailing comforter. Let neither despondency nor despair
becloud the serenity of thy life or restrain thy freedom. These days shall pass
away. We will, please God, in the Abhá Kingdom and beneath the sheltering
shadow of the Blessed Beauty, forget all these our earthly cares and will find
each one of these base calumnies amply compensated by His expressions of praise
and favour. From the beginning of time sorrow and anxiety, regret and
tribulation, have always been the lot of every loyal servant of God. Ponder
this in thine heart and consider how very true it is. Wherefore, set thine
heart on the tender mercies of the Ancient Beauty and be thou filled with
abiding joy and intense gladness.... 
A colorized picture of Bahiyyih Khanum,
the Greatest Holy Leaf
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a Tablet; compilation: ‘Bahiyyih Khanum: The Greatest Holy Leaf’, prepared by the Research Department of the Universal House of Justice, 1982)
We perceive a no less apparent evolution in the scope of its teachings, at first designedly rigid, complex and severe, subsequently recast, expanded, and liberalized under the succeeding Dispensation, later expounded, reaffirmed and amplified by an appointed Interpreter, and lastly systematized and universally applied to both individuals and institutions.
- Shoghi Effendi
(‘Preface to God Passes By’)
In my talks with the reverend doctors of religion and men of the peace societies I have spoken the Glad-tidings of Baha’u’llah, but always according to their varying need and capacity. As capacities differ, the purpose must be to satisfy the degree of hunger, destroy all possible antagonism and establish a point of agreement. We cannot induce men to lay down their arms by fighting with them. War intensifies the spirit of strife. War begets war. We are peacemakers, not destroyers of peace. Therefore ‘Abdu’l-Baha finds the note of harmony which vibrates in every human heart. This is our subtle basis. Build upon it. Follow no other method. Talk about things upon which we agree and say nothing about things upon which we differ. We must disorganize humanism in order to construct a spiritual edifice in the world of humanity. This edifice is heavenly but its foundations are planted in the unity of human hearts.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, recorded by Howard MacNutt, Star of the West, vol. IV, no. 1, 1913)
You must give up all differences among you – differences of opinion – and all work for the same aim. You must be qualified with divine attributes, so that the Word of God may assist you, so that the bounties of God may descend upon you. And know that without the help of the Holy Spirit you will not be able to do this. And the magnetism of the Word of God is sincerity of intention. And until you are entirely severed from yourself and emptied of yourself, you will never be sincere enough.
You must entirely sacrifice yourself. You must close your eyes to all rest. You must give up even your happiness and your enjoyment so that you may be able to do this.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of 'Abdu'l-Baha, recorded by Juliet Thompson during her visit in Akka, ‘The Diary of Juliet Thompson’)
- Shoghi Effendi (Quoting Bahá’u’lláh; ‘The Dispensation of Baha’u’llah; included in ‘The World Order of Baha’u’llah’)
As to racial prejudice: all humanity is one progeny. All are servants of one God. All are of one essence. There is no plurality in race because all are the sons of Adam. Plurality in race is an unfounded belief. Before God there is no England, France, Turkey or Persia. All these people are regarded as one before God. God did not made these divisions. They are made by man; hence, they are false and contrary to reality. Everyone has two eyes, two ears, one head and two feet. There is no racial prejudice among animals, no such prejudice among pigeons. A pigeon of the East will mingle with a pigeon of the West harmoniously. A sheep of the West will not say to a sheep of the East: `You are of the East and I am of the West.' Instead they mix together. If a pigeon comes from the East, it will mix with the pigeons of the West. It will not say, `I am of the East while you are of the West.' Is it worthy of man to entertain an attitude which animals do not allow?
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, first public talk in Canada, September 1, 1912, recorded by Mahmud Zarqani, a secretary for ‘Abdu’l-Bahá during His travels in the West; published in ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha’; The Compilation of Compilations, Vol. II, The Importance of Prayer, Meditation and the Devotional Attitude)
With their traditional fidelity and characteristic vigor, notwithstanding the unimaginable hindrances they have to face, they have convened their first historic representative conference of various delegates from the nine leading provinces of Persia, have evolved plans for holding every year as fully representative a convention of Bahá'í delegates in Persia as circumstances permit, and modelled after the method pursued by their brethren in the United States and Canada.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 18, 1927; 'Baha'i
Administration')
“We verily,” He [Baha'u'llah] Himself has testified, “have not fallen short of Our duty to exhort men, and to deliver that whereunto I was bidden by God, the Almighty, the All-Praised. Had they hearkened unto Me, they would have beheld the earth another earth.” And again: “Is there any excuse left for anyone in this Revelation? No, by God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne! My signs have encompassed the earth, and My power enveloped all mankind, and yet the people are wrapped in a strange sleep!”
- Shoghi Effendi (‘The Promised Day Is Come’)
- Shoghi Effendi (‘Introduction to ‘The Dawn-Breakers’)
