At the morning gathering of the friends one asked about the longevity of life in ancient times. The Master replied:
“…the long lives mentioned in certain books and narratives have a different basis. For instance, it was a custom in former times to mention a dynasty or family by the name of one person only. However, the people in the following ages thought that the length of time that a family survived was the length of the life of that family's founder.”
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Utterances of 'Abdu'l-Baha, New York, July 22, 1912; recorded by Mahmud Zarqani, His secretary and chronicler during His travels of the west; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’)
