…self-love. This is a strange trait and means of the
destruction of many important souls in the world. If man be imbued with all
good qualities but be selfish, all the other virtues will fade or pass away and
eventually he will grow worse.
I hope the beloved of God and the maid-servants of the
Merciful will be entirely freed from selfishness. Should this become their nature,
they will indeed become manifestations of great bounties, and the doors of the
divine grace will open.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, vol. 1)
