The Mother's brief written statements on various aspects of spiritual life including some spoken comments.
This volume consists primarily of brief written statements by the Mother on various aspects of spiritual life. Written between the late 1920s and the early 1970s, the statements have been compiled from her public messages, private notes, and correspondence with disciples. About two-thirds of them were written in English; the rest were written in French and appear here in English translation. The volume also contains a small number of spoken comments, most of them in English. Some are tape-recorded messages; others are reports by disciples that were later approved by the Mother for publication.
You will become more and more perfect in your work as the consciousness grows, increases, widens and is enlightened.
7 October 1934
In all action, all work done, the degree of perfection depends upon the degree of consciousness.
To work in the Divine's way is not easy for a blind and egoistic person like me. By that I mean: to work unegoistically and to keep myself open to your force so that it may work unhampered in me. Am I right?
Yes, it is correct.
Judging by that standard I have no right to work for you at all; but it is also not desirable, perhaps, to cease to work for you.
Certainly you must not stop working for me. It is by working that the perfection of the working comes.
12 April 1947
Try to enjoy doing everything you do.
When you are interested in what you do, you enjoy doing it.
To be interested in what you do, you must try to do it better and better.
In progress lies true joy.
6 January 1952
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When work becomes attractive and is done with joy, how much better it is.
It is true that my force is always with him to help him to do his work; but my force is essentially a force for perfection, and to be able to allow it to work fully, one must have a constant will for progress in the work.
12 May 1952
It is by combined and patient effort that all good work is done.
8 April 1954
Perfection in the work must be the aim, but it is only by a very patient effort that this can be obtained.
12 April 1954
Open yourself more and more to the Divine's force and your work will progress steadily towards perfection.
11 June 1954
Let us constantly aspire to be a perfect instrument for the Divine's work.
27 August 1954
Let nothing short of perfection be your ideal in work and you are sure to become a true instrument of the Divine.
Page 304
There must be order and harmony in work. Even what is apparently the most insignificant thing must be done with perfect perfection, with a sense of cleanliness, beauty, harmony and order.
23 August 1955
With method, order and care there is no difficulty that cannot be solved.
Organisation: indispensable for all good work.
Regularity: indispensable for all serious accomplishment.
For the work steadiness and regularity are as necessary as skill. Whatever you do, do it always carefully.
Always do what you do with care.
Any work done with care becomes interesting.
Nothing is too small to be neglected, the same care meets all circumstances.
Page 305
To undo one thing in order to build another is not a good policy. Those who are consecrated and want to work for the Divine must be patient and know how to wait for things to be done at the right moment and in the right way.
14 February 1959
It is better to use the energies received from the Divine for perfection rather than for aggrandisement.
The perfection of the work done is much more important than its bulk or the bigness of its scope.
May 1959
When one works for the Divine, it is much better to do perfectly what one does than to aim at a very big work.
13 May 1959
It is better to do well than to do quickly.
To begin a work and to leave it half done and to start another work elsewhere, is not a very wholesome habit.
5 July 1959
In works, aspiration towards Perfection is true spirituality.
October 1961
Whatever work you do, do it as perfectly as you can. That is the best service to the Divine in man.
1 November 1961
Page 306
I was intending to write to you that this neglected work must be carried out immediately.
I accept your explanation that it is not bad will but negligence. But I must tell you that for me negligence is the worst form of bad will, for it is the refusal to surrender to the divine inspiration and consciousness which demand a constant vigilance.
I hope that this new year will bring you all the breadth of mind and generosity of heart which will make such unfortunate incidents impossible.
Blessings.
4 January 1966
Faultless planning of work cannot be obtained except with the consciousness of the Divine.
If men had to stop work when they are not perfect, everybody would stop working. It is in the work that we must progress and purify ourselves.
Continue to do the work you are doing but never forget that it can and must become better.
23 December 1971
To do the work that one does with all sincerity, as perfectly as one can, is certainly one of the best ways to serve the Divine.
18 May 1972
When the instruments of work—hands, eyes, etc.—become conscious and the attention is controlled, the capacity for work seems to have no bounds.
Page 307
Skilful hands, a clear vision, a concentrated attention, an untiring patience, and what one does is well done.
Skilful hands, precise care, a sustained attention and one compels Matter to obey the Spirit.
To know how to observe in silence is the source of skilfulness.
Skill in works must be used knowingly.
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