Whatever the progress of the machinery [with respect to
economics] 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.
- Shoghi Effendi (From a
letter dated 26 December 1935 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an
individual believer; The Compilation of Compilations, vol. III, Economics,
Agriculture, and Related Subjects)
