I want to make you understand that material progress and
spiritual progress are two very different things, and that only if material
progress goes hand in hand with spirituality can any real progress come about,
and the Most Great Peace reign in the world. If men followed the Holy Counsels
and the Teachings of the Prophets, if Divine Light shone in all hearts and men
were really religious, we should soon see peace on earth and the Kingdom of God
among men. The laws of God may be likened unto the soul and material progress
unto the body. If the body was not animated by the soul, it would cease to
exist. It is my earnest prayer that spirituality may ever grow and increase in
the world, so that customs may become enlightened and peace and concord may be
established.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (From a talk, Paris, November 21, 1911; ‘Paris
Talks’)
