Work
Topics[edit]
Man will always have to toil to earn his living[edit]
"… Whatever the progress of the machinery may be, man will have always to toil in order to earn his living. Effort is an inseparable part of man's life. It may take different forms with the changing conditions of the world, but it will be always present as a necessary element in our earthly existence. Life is after all a struggle. Progress is attained through struggle, and without such a struggle life ceases to have a meaning; it becomes even extinct. The progress of machinery has not made effort unnecessary. It has given it a new form, a new outlet."
- (From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, December 26, 1935, in Lights of Guidance, no. 1870)
Never be too depressed about not finding a job one likes; misfit is one of the curses of the generation[edit]
"You should never be too depressed about your dissatisfaction concerning not finding a job you like, a place in the world that fits you. If you analyse it this general sense of mis-fit is one of the curses of your generation, one of the products of the world's disequilibrium and chaos. It is not confined to your life, it is pretty general."
- (On behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, 8 January 1949, Unfolding Destiny, p. 454)
No one need ever be ashamed of his job[edit]
"You should not allow the remarks made by the Bahá'ís to hurt or depress you, but should forget the personalities, and arise to do all you can, yourself, to teach the Faith.
"Bahá'u'lláh enjoins work on all. No one need ever be ashamed of his job."
- (On behalf of? Shoghi Effendi, 15 August 1957, Unfolding Destiny, p. 462)
Prayers for livelihood[edit]
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, vol. 14, no. 6, p. 167)
- 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Bahá'í Prayers, pp. 22-23
