O army of God! Through the protection and help vouchsafed by
the Blessed Beauty — may my life be a sacrifice to His loved ones — ye must
conduct yourselves in such a manner that ye may stand out distinguished and
brilliant as the sun among other souls. Should any one of you enter a city, he
should become a centre of attraction by reason of his sincerity, his
faithfulness and love, his honesty and fidelity, his truthfulness and
loving-kindness towards all the peoples of the world, so that the people of
that city may cry out and say: "This man is unquestionably a Bahá'í, for
his manners, his behaviour, his conduct, his morals, his nature, and
disposition reflect the attributes of the Bahá'ís." Not until ye attain
this station can ye be said to have been faithful to the Covenant and Testament
of God....
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá’; The
Compilation of Compilations, vol. I, Excellence in All Things)
