Love of Labor

1. "Labor is the crown of Light." [New Era Community, 27]

 

2. "Spirituality is achieved only through purification of thoughts and labor. Strive for this highest and shortest path." [Letters of Helena Roerich in 9 Volumes - 4. 062]

 

3. "Labor is given to man so that he can create and express the energies of his spirit in him." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1963,118]

 

4. "Fiery creativity is the lot of man, and man comes to him through earthly labors. The stage of earthly labor leads to the stage of Cosmic creativity." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1953, 426]

 

5. "Not only does knowledge lead to the Higher World, but labor also. Indeed, each labor is knowledge. Thus, labor is prayer." [Aum, 62]

 

6. "Prayers to the Creator are offered not only in temples – the wax of the candle burns also in the labors of life." [Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 64]

 

7. "After labor the worker is better and more tolerant. A great deal of perfecting takes place in work. In toil lies evolution!" [Aum, 323]

 

8. "...Each labor is a battle with chaos." [Brotherhood, 542]

 

9. "With what can one block the path of evil? Only with labor on Earth. Thought and work directed to the Common Good will be a strong weapon against evil. …Work and lofty thought will be the arms of victory..." [Brotherhood, 578]

 

10. "Only with great travail can the Hand of Truth bend the prison bars." [Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 145]

 

11. "The rhythm of labor is the adornment of the world. Labor may be regarded as a victory over everyday routine. Each hard-working man is a benefactor of humanity. To imagine Earth without workers is to see a reversion to chaos. Invincible tenacity is forged by labor; precisely everyday work is the accumulation of the treasure. The true toiler loves his labor and understands the significance of tension. …Each labor contains within itself the concept of the Beautiful. Labor, prayer, beauty – all are facets of the great crystal of Existence." [Aum, 322]

 

12. "Happy are those who, realizing infinity, fell in love with the labors of every day." [Realm of Light by Nicholas Roerich]

 

13. "...The joy of labor is the best flame of spirit." [Agni Yoga, 459]

 

14. "Humanity is beginning to understand labor as having great value. We regard labor as the highest standard, but many still think that it is a curse. ...They do not realize that labor is liberation from the ego, that most harmful impediment to the attainment of supermundane creativity. Labor of high quality permits man to rise above the ego. A creator, at the time of true inspiration, does not think of himself. A worker striving for better quality cannot be enslaved to his ego. Therefore, the gift of labor is liberation from selfhood. … Let us not be silent about the need for labor, even in early childhood. Family and school must mold the future laborers and creators.

The Thinker said, “Prayerfully let us accept the gift of labor.”" [Supermundane, 839]

 

15. "In labor lies the highest good of life. In your labor you will gain your right to enter the Higher Worlds. ...Labor is the crown of life. In labor, the highest values of the spirit are recognized. In labor, the justification of life is. ...The culture of labor is a new task for humanity. ...Creative labor is the cosmic task of mankind and the purpose of its existence." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1951, 49]

 

16. "Awareness of labor is the basis of development of consciousness, that is to say, the beginning of the action of psychic energy." [Aum, 477]

 

17. "...Labor will be the anchor of salvation of the planet. …It is essential that man deeply apprehend the beauty of flourishing labor. He must learn to understand labor not as the means to daily bread, but as the way to salvation of the planet. Precisely, conscious labor creates the healing emanation..." [Supermundane, 558]

 

18. "Wisely pronounced "heroes of labor." The battle for a better future is not just on the battlefields. Tirelessness, patience, and achieving the best quality are tested in life every day. The feat of humanity grows in the labors. Happiness lies in conscious labor. The song of labor is the great harmony of all those who seek." [Happiness by Nicholas Roerich]

 

19. "... I would like you to emphasize labor even more strongly as the main factor in the education of the spirit, and would point mainly to the importance of its quality. Also on the perfect necessity of mental labor, for if the sweat of physical labor nourishes the earth, then the sweat of mental labor is transformed by the rays of the sun into Prana and gives life to all things. When realizing this importance of mental labor, due respect for thinkers, scientists and other creators will appear. Only mental labor gives us the expansion of consciousness, and thus connects us to distant worlds, to the entire Cosmos, and directs us to the joy of boundless perfection. It is necessary to cultivate the joy of unlimited perfection in oneself." [Letters of Helena Roerich in 9 Volumes - 3. 198]

 

20. "It is especially needed to become accustomed from childhood to continuous labor. Let the better evolution be built upon labor as the measure of value. ... A lofty quality will enter into pure labor through love of a favorite craft." [New Era Community, 8, 10]

 

21. "Therefore, strenuous labor is blessed, for it is light-bearing. A person must learn to radiate light from his essence. And the path of labor is the shortest." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1953, 219]

 

22. "Luminous labor, no matter how ordinary it may be, is the victory of the spirit over the conditions of the dense world." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1955,205]

 

23. "The Thinker said, “How can we trust a military leader who was never in a battle? How can we know the quality of a ship which has never been to sea? Truly, exertion is blessed, for through intense labor we prepare ourselves for higher understanding..."” [Supermundane, 195]

 

24. "Choose for yourself the heaviest labors, and be an example for all. In this way you will reveal to all the full meaning of service to good." [Supermundane, 586]

 

25. "Labor is the guarantee of success." [Leaves of Morya’s Garden I, 61]

 

26. "Whence is born in these workers a readiness for incessant labor? Love is a powerful impeller. Love is a magnet and the beginning of achievement. Love for the future is the most powerful impeller and it safeguards the worker from stagnation." [Supermundane, 861]

 

27. "Work with the knowledge of the inevitability of results. Be able to distinguish the great from the small and the good fruits that bear from the bad crops. The yardstick of the future is an unmistakable criterion." [Facets of Agni Yoga 1953, 109]

 

28. "Not satisfaction, but joy in eternal labor is the destiny of the great and ascending one." [Fiery World I, 385]