"Regarding the principle that the Cause must not be allowed to center
around any Baha'i personality, the Guardian wishes to make it clear that
it was never intended that well qualified individual teachers should not
receive from local Assemblies every encouragement and facilities to
address the public. What the Guardian meant was that the personality and
popularity of such a speaker should never be allowed to eclipse the
authority or detract from the influence of the body of the elected
representatives in every local community. Such an individual should not
only seek the approval, advice and assistance of the body that represents
the Cause in his locality, but should strive to attribute any credit he
may obtain, to the collective wisdom and capacity of the Assembly under
whose jurisdiction he performs his services. Assemblies and not
individuals constitute the bedrock on which the Administration is built.
Everything else must be subordinated to, and be made to serve and advance
the best interests of these elected custodians and promoters of the laws
of Baha'u'llah."