Motivation
To make sacrifices only for God's sake and for others[edit]
"To have sacrificed my life for the Manifestations of Thy Self, to have offered up my soul in the path of the Revealers of Thy wondrous Beauty, is to have sacrificed my spirit for Thy Spirit, my being for Thy Being, my glory for Thy glory. It is as if I had offered up all these things for Thy sake, and for the sake of Thy loved ones."
To love, pray, obey laws, and sacrifice not for others' sake, but for God's exaltation and due to His perfection[edit]
"Bless Thou all those also who, wholly for Thy sake, have turned towards Thee."
When I hear, however, the sighs of such of Thy people as are wholly devoted to Thee, and those of Thy servants as enjoy near access to Thy court, who have taken no other friend than Thee, and sought no refuge except Thee, and have chosen for themselves, in Thy path, what no man hath chosen in the days of the Manifestations of Thy transcendent unity and the Day-Springs of Thy most holy sovereignty, then my heart is saddened and my soul is vexed, and I cry to Thee, imploring Thee to protect them, by Thy power that hath encompassed the entire creation both visible and invisible, from whatsoever may be abhorrent to Thee. This is not for their own sakes, but that Thy name may, through them, abide amongst Thy servants, and Thy remembrance may continue to endure in Thy dominions."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh, sec. CI, p. 169)
"...exalt such as have, wholly for Thy sake, set their faces towards Thee, that through them the ensigns of Thy glorification may be unfurled among all nations, and Thy tokens be spread abroad among all peoples, and that all may testify that Thou art God, that there is none other God beside Thee, the God of power, of majesty and glory."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh, sec. LXXXIII, p. 141)
"The highest love is independent of any personal advantages which we may draw from the love of the friend. If you love truly, your love for your friend will continue, even if he treats you ill. A man who really loves God, will love Him whether he be ill, or sad, or unfortunate. He does not love God because He has created him—his life may be full of dis-associations and miseries. He does not love God because He has given him health or wealth, because these may disappear at any moment. He does not love Him because He has given him the strength of youth, because old age will surely come upon him. The reason for his love is not because he is grateful for certain mercies and benefits. No!
"The lover of God desires and adores Him because He is perfection and because of His perfections."
- ('Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, volume 8, Issue 10, p. 121)
"Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Kitáb-i-Aqdas, par. 4)
Praise of prayer or sacrifice for God's sake alone[edit]
"I am he, O my Lord, who, wholly for Thy sake, hath turned his face unto Thee..."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh, sec. CV, p. 176)
"Clear away, then, the sight of Thy creatures, O my God, that they may recognize Him Who showeth forth the Godhead as One Who is sanctified from all that pertaineth unto them, and Who, wholly for Thy sake, is summoning them to the horizon of Thy unity, at a time when every moment of His life is beset with peril. Had His aim been the preservation of His own Self, He would never have left it at the mercy of Thy foes."
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh, sec. CXVI, p. 198)
"Blessed is he that observeth the fast wholly for Thy sake"
"I beseech Thee to grant that I may be assisted to observe the fast wholly for Thy sake"
- (Bahá'u'lláh, Prayers and Meditations of Bahá'u'lláh, sec. CLXXVIII, p. 299)
"Thou well knowest, O my Lord, that in revealing myself I have sought only to reveal Thy Cause, and have turned to no one except for the sake of Thy Revelation and for the purpose of manifesting Thy loving-kindness."
"Do Thou accept all that we have done for love of Thee, and for the sake of Thy pleasure, and all that we have left undone as a result of our subjection to our evil and corrupt desires."
See also[edit]
- Intention
- Incentive/Consequences (hope or fear of which being a driver of motivation)
- Competition
- Virtue#Apparently blameworthy attributes may not be reprehensible if they are used for good
To-dos for this page[edit]
- Add other quotes on most people needing an element of fear and positive effects of reward
