God made manifest the True Shepherd to gather together all His flocks, and that kind Shepherd was Bahá’u’lláh. He brought together the scattered flocks, and fostered fellowship among various peoples. Wishing to protect and support the peoples of the world, He made Himself even as a shield - and in so doing became the target of the darts of calamity, and prey to the onslaught of ravenous wolves - so that the sheep of God may be kept safe from the cruelty of ferocious and relentless beasts, and sheltered from the oppression of the wolves of self and desire, with the aim that these sheep may enjoy protection and eternal life. My hope is that we, too, may succeed in gathering together the scattered flocks beneath the shade of the True Shepherd, guiding them to the pasture of divine bounty and protecting them from the wolves. Thus shall these scattered flocks come together and live out their days in the utmost happiness.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (Words of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 24 December 1912, London, England recorded by Mahmud Zarqani, His secretary and chronicler during His travels in the West; ‘Mahmud’s Diary’, vol. 2: ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Europe 1912-1913)