O ye the dawning-places of knowledge! Beware that ye suffer
not yourselves to become changed, for as ye change, most men will, likewise,
change. This, verily, is an injustice unto yourselves and unto others. Unto
this beareth witness every man of discernment and insight. Ye are even as a
spring. If it be changed, so will the streams that branch out from it be
changed. Fear God, and be numbered with
the godly. In like manner, if the heart of man be corrupted, his limbs will
also be corrupted. And similarly, if the root of a tree be corrupted, its
branches, and its offshoots, and its leaves, and its fruits, will be corrupted.
Thus have We set forth similitudes for your instruction, that perchance ye may
not be debarred by the things ye possess from attaining unto that which hath
been destined for you by Him Who is the All-Glorious, the Most Bountiful.
(Baha'u'llah,
‘Suriy-i-Haykal, ‘The Summons of the Lord of Hosts’)
