"Man reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily performed, not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon him."

Door at Mansion of Mazra'ih

"Man reacheth perfection through good deeds, voluntarily performed, not through good deeds the doing of which was forced upon him. And sharing is a personally chosen righteous act: that is, the rich should extend assistance to the poor, they should expend their substance for the poor, but of their own free will, and not because the poor have gained this end by force. For the harvest of force is turmoil and the ruin of the social order. On the other hand voluntary sharing, the freely chosen expending of one’s substance, leadeth to society’s comfort and peace. It lighteth up the world; it bestoweth honor upon humankind."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings
www.bahai.org/r/408874573

"Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless..."

Flowers at the Mansion of Mazra'ih

"Material civilization is like a lamp-glass. Divine civilization is the lamp itself and the glass without the light is dark. Material civilization is like the body. No matter how infinitely graceful, elegant and beautiful it may be, it is dead. Divine civilization is like the spirit, and the body gets its life from the spirit, otherwise it becomes a corpse. It has thus been made evident that the world of mankind is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit the world of mankind is lifeless, and without this light the world of mankind is in utter darkness."

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings
www.bahai.org/r/916728220