“Our good or evil deeds follow us continually, like shadows. That which is most needed is a loving and honest heart. Regard thy people as men do an only son; do not oppress them, do not destroy them. Keep in due check every member of thy body. Forsake unreasoning doctrine, and walk in the straight path, which is the only Way, and there is none other. Exalt not thyself by trampling down others, but comfort and befriend the suffering. Neither ponder on kingly dignity, nor listen to the smooth words of flatterers. There is no profit in vexing oneself by austerities, but meditate on the teachings of the noble Brotherhood, and weigh this wise and reasoned law.
“We are encompassed on all sides by the rocks of birth, old age, disease, and death, and only by considering and practicing the true and just law can we escape from this sorrow-piled mountain. What profit, then, in practicing iniquity?