“Human beings can be transformed only by persistent, daily effort. Those who say, “Use this formula, this talisman, this magical gesture: it will rescue you immediately,” are lying because they want to deceive you. A Master of the Universal White Brotherhood will tell you: “My child, everything is possible, but only if you work at it. If you do so, what you obtain will be so secure no one will ever be able to take it from you.

“Why do we always expect love, knowledge and power to come from outside ourselves as though we were waiting for wine to be poured into a bottle? No, it is up to us to work every day to transform our “bottle“. Unfortunately, nobody stays for long in schools that require an effort, whereas people are eager to stay in those that promise them all manner of blessings without their having to lift a finger. This is why true teachings do not attract very many disciples. Human beings don’t like to hear about making an effort.

There is only one veritable philosophy, the philosophy of conscious personal and collective work. But I know that if I talk about this you will not come here again. You came to hear amazing, sensational revelations and all I talk about is the efforts you have to make. But I’m obliged to do this. I am obliged to tell you the truth. “

“What is the difference between studying at a university and studying with a Master? At university, a student learns things that are external to him, that are not an integral part of his life and, after several years of study, he finds himself exactly as he was before, with all the same vices and weaknesses….

“Whereas he who has spent some years studying with a Master will, on the contrary, find himself profoundly transformed: his powers of discernment, his moral strength and his possibilities of action, both inward and outward, will have increased.

“Sometimes I amuse myself by playing with the words Master and maître (mètre in French. Mètre expresses both the measurement and the measuring rod or tape.) A mètre enables us to measure distances: length, breadth, depth and thickness…

But we also need to measure things in the fourth and fifth dimensions. And this is where a Maître or Master comes in: a Master is necessary to help us to find our own inner Master, that being who is always within us and with whom we have to identify and unite. It is in becoming one with that inner Master that we become master of ourselves, capable of ruling, enlightening and educating the teeming population of cells and entities that inhabit us. To be a Master is, first and foremost, to possess both self-mastery and absolute criteria of discernment.”

”Thus the distinguishing mark of a true Master is not his erudition, his clairvoyance or his powers but his disinterestedness. He may possess knowledge, clairvoyance and powers but if he is not disinterested, even though human beings may take him for a Master Heaven does not recognize him as one.”

We cannot become saints or prophets in just one lifetime; it requires many incarnations on the earth and ceaseless work to achieve this. This is what life on earth is about: faults, mistakes, and failings. How could a spiritual Master help and educate human beings today if in other incarnations he had not gone through the same experiences and overcome the same obstacles? What merit would he have if he had not committed the same mistakes and encountered the same tests before becoming, at last, what he is today? He would never dare to face others and ask them to make efforts that he himself had not already made. If we must follow the advice of the initiates and the great Masters, it is because they know the way. They know the pitfalls and how to triumph over them.”

“Having read a few esoteric books, some people believe themselves capable of assuming the role of a spiritual Master. And other naïve beings, instead of studying them for a while to see how they conduct themselves, follow them with their eyes closed. They do not ask where they came from, how they have lived up to now, who their Master was or who sent them. Oh no, there is no point in asking such questions. All it takes is for someone to come along and put on some act and tell them that they will be initiated within three days – in exchange for a considerable sum of money of course – and they believe them. They are in a hurry, you see, initiation must not take longer than three days… This is why the first charlatan or crook who comes to take advantage of their gullibility is welcomed with open arms: he is going to initiate them! Well, since they closed their eyes, since they were obviously set on being cheated, what do they have to complain about?”

“You cannot demand of a spiritual Master that he have all knowledge and all powers. You have the right to ask only one thing of him: that he be a link between you and Heaven, that he show you the way to God, that he guide you on the path of light. In any case, a true spiritual Master will never keep you for himself; he will lead you to God. If you insist on staying close to him, he will tell you: ‘No, no, you must not count so much on me, I cannot give you everything, only the Lord can fulfill you. For my part I can only help you find the way. I am like a phone booth that allows you to communicate with the divine world, with the celestial hierarchies, that is all.’ This is what a true Master will tell you. Now, of course, if he is not a genuine Master, he will tell you all kinds of things, so it is up to you to show discernment.”

“When I am speaking to you I often see that something in you rebels against what I say. Perhaps you are thinking, ‘He is always talking about the soul and spirit, the high ideal, divine life… he does not see the difficult conditions we have to put up with.’ Oh yes, I see them. I see them everywhere. But I also see other things: I see all the good conditions that are present but to which you remain blind because you are obsessed by your difficulties. And what I see, above all, are the good conditions you have within you, all those treasures and wonderful riches, whereas you see only the external situation, the inconveniences of everyday life. When you understand me, you will feel stronger and richer. Yes, you always need someone who encourages you and opens your eyes. You see only your weaknesses, your poverty, while there are so many other things to see, and this is why I am here: to show them to you.”