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Those who have pure thoughts and noble ideals and loving characters exert a strong influence on others. Whenever we want to have lasting effect on any character we must not expect to do it to quickly or too easily. If it is done too quickly, it will not last. It is like hay-fire. You set hay on fire and it makes a tremendous blaze, but in a moment it is over; while a log fire is slow to catch, but it lasts a long time. The real spiritual life is manifested when there is no element of fear, no ulterior motive, no bargaining. When we pray, we must not ask God to give us something in return. Our prayer must spring from the spontaneous desire to commune with what is beautiful.
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