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Hierarchy (1931) - 287:
287. Let us turn to devotion. This concept is also subject to many distortions. Devotion does not resemble a windmill, or a hired singer of praises. Rather, it resembles a firm tower upon a summit, which the enemies avoid in awe, but in whose chambers a shelter is ever prepared for a friend. Devotion is the opposite of doubt, which is nothing but ignorance. It means that devotion rests upon enlightenment. Thus, validity of learning is akin to devotion. It is not credulity, not levity, but firmness and steadfastness. Truly, the tower of devotion is not constructed by haphazard toil or by petty decisiveness; and devotion can be violated only by perfidy, which is the same as betrayal. But valuable are the towers of devotion! Such ashrams, like magnets, attract powerful hearts; they are nurseries of spirituality. Even material nature is transformed in the proximity of these towers. Heart (1932) - 35:
35. The most difficult thing for people is to coordinate the utmost rapture of spirit with inexhaustible action. For success, extreme tension of spirit is needed, but in each action a certain reserve must be preserved. An exhausted action loses its beauty and the magnetism of conviction. A singer who has exhausted the vocal reserve primarily arouses pity. The manifestation of extreme tension of spirit must not reflect itself in actions of desperation; for then the manifestation of inner energy will dissolve in an action foreign to the spirit. One must cognize this law firmly, in order not to turn into a windmill. I advise to gather all forces of the spirit in order not to atomize them by unbridled actions.
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