The sciences of today are bridges to reality; if then they
lead not to reality, naught remains but fruitless illusion. By the one true
God! If learning be not a means of access to Him, the Most Manifest, it is
nothing but evident loss.
It is incumbent upon thee to acquire the various branches of
knowledge, and to turn thy face toward the beauty of the Manifest Beauty, that
thou mayest be a sign of saving guidance amongst the peoples of the world, and
a focal centre of understanding in this sphere from which the wise and their
wisdom are shut out, except for those who set foot in the Kingdom of lights and
become informed of the veiled and hidden mystery, the well-guarded secret. ('Abdu'l-Bahá, ‘Selections from the
Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá’)
