If you fear not the consequences of an evil life, and have no sense of shame, you are free to do what you will. No, by God, life has no worth, and this world has no happiness to a man who has lost his self-respect and abandons himself to shamelessness. There is no good in a man who is not ashamed of men. He who has a brazen face has a craven heart. To be ashamed before God is to obey His commandments and to avoid what He has forbidden; to be ashamed before men is to avoid all harm to them; and to be ashamed before one's self is to be chaste and clean when one is alone. Be ashamed in your own sight more than in the sight of men. He who does a thing in secret of which he would be ashamed if done openly, has no respect for himself. He who respects not himself can have no respect for others. I shall not kiss a hand which deserves to be cut off. CHARACTER A man is truly religious when he is truly good. A good character is a great boon. Kind words are the bonds of love. A kind word is like an act of charity. If you cannot help men with money, help them with a cheerful face and a kindly bearing. No man is entitled to consideration unless he has these three things, or at least one of them: the fear of God to restrain him from evil, forbearance with wicked men, and a good nature towards all. There are cases where not kindness but severity is necessary. Kindness increases the love of friends, and diminishes the hatred of enemies. Be firm after you have been kind. God loves the man who is tender-hearted. An evil nature is a calamity from which there is no escape. If you hear that a mountain has moved from its place believe it, but if you hear that a man has changed his character do not believe it, for he will act only according to his nature. An inherited quality may be traced back to the seventh grandfather. There are four points in a good character from which all other good traits take their origin--prudence, courage, continence, and justice. When a woman has had more than one husband in this life, she will, in the future state, be free to be the wife of him whose character she esteemed the most. BENEVOLENCE _Koran_. Do good unto others as God has done unto you. Is the reward of kindness anything but kindness? He who does a kindly act shall be recompensed tenfold. Ye can never be righteous unless ye give away from that which ye love. _Traditions_. The upper hand [which giveth] is better than the lower hand [which taketh]. God's creatures are the objects of His care, and He loveth best that man who is most helpful to them. _Proverbs_. Do not be ashamed to give little, for it is less than that, if you give nothing. If you give, give freely, and if you strike, strike boldly. He who soweth kindness shall reap thanks. What a man does for God is never lost. Be merciful to him who is beneath you, and you will have mercy from Him who is above you. The best kind of good is that which is done most speedily.