O pure soul! Follow thou in the footsteps of the truthful
and tread the way of the righteous, so that, through truthfulness, thou mayest
come to occupy a Seat of Truth,[Qur'án, 54:55] and, through righteousness, thou
mayest attain to abiding honour. If the sum of all sins were to be weighed in
the balance, falsehood would, on its own, countervail them; nay, its evils
would even outweigh them and its detriment prove greater. It were better for
thee that thou shouldst be a blasphemer and tell the truth than that thou
shouldst mouth the formulas of faith and yet be a liar. These clear words are
addressed as an admonition to the peoples of the world. Render thanks unto God
that it is through thee that this counsel hath been addressed to all mankind.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (The Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Trustworthiness: A
Cardinal Bahá'í Virtue)
