Vancouver, Canada
“O Son Of The Wondrous Vision! I have breathed within thee a breath of My own Spirit, that thou mayest be My lover. Why hast thou forsaken Me and sought a beloved other than Me?”
-Baha’u’llah
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Adelaide, Australia
Grape vines near One Tree Hill.
“Never speak disparagingly of others, but praise without distinction. Pollute not your tongues by speaking evil of another. Recognize your enemies as friends, and consider those who wish you evil as the wishers of good. You must not see evil as evil and then compromise with your opinion, for to treat in a smooth, kindly way one whom you consider evil or an enemy is hypocrisy, and this is not worthy or allowable. You must consider your enemies as your friends, look upon your evil-wishers as your well-wishers and treat them accordingly. Act in such a way that your heart may be free from hatred. Let not your heart be offended with anyone. If some one commits an error and wrong toward you, you must instantly forgive him. Do not complain of others. Refrain from reprimanding them, and if you wish to give admonition or advice, let it be offered in such a way that it will not burden the bearer.”
—‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace
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Berlin, Germany
“He must never seek to exalt himself above any one, must wash away from the tablet of his heart every trace of pride and vain-glory, must cling unto patience and resignation, observe silence and refrain from idle talk. For the tongue is a smoldering fire, and excess of speech a deadly poison.”
-Baha’u’llah
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Perth, Australia
“Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech…a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty…a dew to the soil of the human heart, an ark on the ocean of knowledge…a fruit upon the tree of humility.”
-Bahá’u’lláh
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San Diego, USA
“I render Thee thanks, O Thou Who hast lighted Thy fire within my soul, and cast the beams of Thy light into my heart, that Thou hast taught Thy servants how to make mention of Thee, and revealed unto them the ways whereby they can supplicate Thee, through Thy most holy and exalted tongue, and Thy most august and precious speech. But for Thy leave, who is there that could venture to express Thy might and Thy grandeur; and were it not for Thine instruction, who is the man that could discover the ways of Thy pleasure in the kingdom of Thy creation?”
-Baha’u’llah
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Haifa, Israel
“When we speak let our speech be an outward evidence of the inner light, for we must speak the truth, otherwise we shall not act wisely.”
-‘Abdu’l-Baha