The friends have a great duty, first towards the Cause and
then towards society at large. Baha’u’llah has come to the world with a divine
Message and devoted all His life and withstood all forms of persecution in the
hope of establishing it firmly. We are now the trustees of that Mission. It is
for us to bring that task begun by Baha’u’llah to a final consummation. Should
we fail, we have been untrue to our Lord and also remained deaf to the cry of
humanity seeking salvation.”
- Shoghi Effendi (From a letter dated 15 November 1931 written on
behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer; Baha'i News, no. 71,
February 1933)