Man is not man by the body, he is man by the spirit, for by
the body he is the associate of the animal; that which distinguishes him is the
spirit. As the sun illumines the earth, so the spirit illumines the body. It
renders man celestial; gives him kindness by the breath of the Holy Spirit;
makes him understand the reality of things; discovers all sciences; offers
eternal life; unites the nations; joins the Orient and the Occident, and
changes the human world into a divine world. Consequently, those who receive
the bounties of the Spirit give life to others.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, from a
talk given at Alliance Spiritualiste of Paris, Nov. 9, 1911; ‘Star of the West,
vol. 2, no. 17, January 19, 1912)
