Extract from a Tablet of ‘Abdu’l‑Bahá
Thou desirest forgiveness of sins; thou seekest utmost peace and tranquillity; thou beseechest nearness to the Threshold of Grandeur; thou desirest renunciation of thine own will and acquiescence in the will of God; thou beseechest deliverance from self; thou seekest to progress upwards through the grades of knowledge; thou desirest to render service unto the one true God; and thou cherishest the hope that thy respected husband and thy children will all become enkindled with the fire of the love of God, and that their faces will become illumined with the light of His knowledge. Truly, all these desires are worthy of entreaty.
In particular, thou wishest for deliverance from self-conceit. This quality, which is pride, hath been the ruin of many important people in the world. Should a person be possessed of all praiseworthy qualities yet be egotistical, then all those virtues and goodly characteristics will be obliterated and ultimately converted into the worst of defects. My hope is that the friends of God and the maidservants of the All-Merciful will be wholly free of pride and selfishness. Should they achieve this, they will manifest bountiful blessings, and the gates of heavenly bestowal will be opened wide.