"As the processes impelling a rapidly evolving Order on the highroad of its destiny multiply and gather momentum, attention should be increasingly directed to the vital need of ensuring, by every means possible, the deepening of the faith, the understanding and the spiritual life of the individual who, as the privileged members of this community, are called upon to participate in this glorious unfoldment and are lending their assistance to this historic evolution. A profound study of the Faith which they have espoused, its history, its spiritual as well as administrative principles; a thorough understanding of the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh and of the Will of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá; a deeper realization of the implication of the claims advanced by the Founders of the Faith; strict adherence to the laws and principles which They have established; a greater dedication to the fundamentals and verities enshrined in Their teachings--these constitute, I feel convinced, the urgent need of the members of this rapidly expanding community. For upon this spiritual foundation must depend the solidity of the institutions which they are now so painstakingly erecting. Every outward thrust into new fields, every multiplication of Bahá'í institutions, must be paralleled by a deeper thrust of the roots which sustain the spiritual life of the community i?and ensure its sound development."

(From a letter dated 30 December 1948 to the N.S.A. of Australia & New Zealand, cited in the compilation The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, pp. 24-25)

". . . . the paramount duty of the deepening the spiritual life of these newly fledged, these precious and highly esteemed co-workers, and of enlightening their minds regarding the essential verities enshrined in their Faith, its fundamental institutions, its history and genesis--the twin Covenants of Bahá'u'lláh and of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, the present Administrative Order, the future World Order, the Laws of the Most Holy Book, the inseparable institutions of the Guardianship and of the Universal House of Justice, the salient events of the Heroic and Formative Ages of the Faith, and its relationship with the Dispensations that have preceded it, its attitude toward the social and political organizations by which it is surrounded--must continue to constitute the most vital aspect of the great spiritual Crusade launched by the champions of the Faith. . . ."

(August 18, 1949 cited in Citadel of Faith, pp. 76-77)

"The deepening and enrichment of the spiritual life of the individual believer, his increasing comprehension of the essential verities underlying his Faith, his training in its administrative processes, his understanding of the fundamentals of the Covenants established by its Author and the Authorized Interpreter of its teachings should be made the supreme objectives of the national representatives responsible for edification, the progress and consolidation of these communities."

(From a letter dated 1 March 1951 to the N.S.A. of Australia & New Zealand, cited in The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, p. 25)

"Above all, the utmost endeavour should be exerted by your Assembly to familiarize the newly enrolled believers with the fundamental and spiritual verities of the Faith, and with the origins, the aims and purposes, as well as the processes of a divinely appointed Administrative Order, to acquaint them more fully with the history of the Faith, to instill in them a deeper understanding of the Covenants of both Bahá'u'lláh and of ‘Abdu'l-Bahá, to enrich their spiritual life, to rouse them to a greater effort and a closer participation in both the teaching of the Faith and the administration of its activities, and to inspire them to make the necessary sacrifices for their furtherance of its vital interests."

(From a letter dated 26 June 1956 to the N.S.A. of Canada, cited in the compilation The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, p. 26)

"Nor must the elected representatives of this community neglect their supreme responsibility to safeguard the spiritual life of its members, to continually enrich that life by every means in their power, to deepen their grasp of the distinguishing features and the fundamental verities of the Bahá'í Faith, and to encourage and inspire them to reflect its spirit and precepts in their personal lives and conduct."

(From a letter dated 14 June 1954 to the N.S.A. of South America, cited in the compilation The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, p. 26)

". . . . a firmer grasp of the essential verities of the Faith; a more profound study of its history and a deeper understanding of the genesis, the significance, the workings, and the present status and achievements of its embryonic World Order and of the Covenant to which it owes its birth and vitality–– these remain the rock bottom requirements which alone can guarantee the opening, and hasten the advent, of that blissful era. . . ."

(From a letter dated 30 August 1957 to the N.S.A. of British Isles, cited in the compilation The Importance of Deepening our Knowledge and Understanding of the Faith, p. 27)