Let Each Morrow Be Richer Than Its Yesterday

Published: October 5, 2026

What words of wisdom guide your life? Recently, I was talking with someone about how we draw down the strength of God—how we attract His aid, His guidance, His protection—as we navigate the episodes of our lives. So many of us turn to scripture and prayer, whatever faith we may belong to, even if it is something we don’t talk about all the time. Over the weekend, I read a passage from one of my favorite Baha’i Writings, titled “Tablet of Wisdom.” Here is an excerpt:

By Layli Maparyan, Ph.D.

O peoples of the world! Forsake all evil, hold fast that which is good. Strive to be shining examples unto all mankind, and true reminders of the virtues of God amidst men. He that riseth to serve My Cause should manifest My wisdom, and bend every effort to banish ignorance from the earth. Be united in counsel, be one in thought. Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday. Man’s merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches. Take heed that your words be purged of idle fancies and worldly desires, and your deeds be cleansed of craftiness and suspicion. Do not dissipate the wealth of your precious lives in the pursuit of evil and corrupt affection, nor let your endeavors be spent promoting your personal interest. Be generous in your days of plenty, and be patient in the hour of loss. Adversity is followed by success and rejoicings follow woe. Guard against idleness and sloth, and cling unto that which profiteth mankind, whether young or old, whether high or low. Beware lest ye sow tares of dissension among men or plant thorns of doubt in pure and radiant hearts.

It is words like this – wisdom like this – that keep me going every day with a sense of purpose and optimism. No matter how challenging the circumstances, there is always a way to look for and promote the good. This is always a time and an opportunity to work on our virtues and try to be exemplary for others, especially our young ones.

As educators—so pertinent for me as President of the University of Liberia, but also pertinent to so many of my colleagues who teach or otherwise guide our students—we can always work to banish ignorance and promote truth and education. In the days before today, when education took place under the tree, so to speak, education was free, and it was the fruit of life experience and deep reflection. Those goods are always available to us and still free.

Each of us has the power to wake up optimistic, if for no other reason than the Lord has seen fit to wake us to see another day, and each of us can find at least one small way to serve others during that precious day the Lord has given us. It can be tempting to immerse ourselves in the siren-call of materialism and worldly pursuits, but as this Tablet of Wisdom suggests, these are not our ultimate worth or wealth. Indeed, the virtue we develop and the things we do that “profiteth mankind” are our true worth and wealth.

We must have the fortitude to weather adversity and hold out for that better morrow, knowing that life itself is filled with ups and downs, cycles of high and low, crisis and victory. The ability to set a course, anchor ourselves to a north star, and follow a line of action from beginning to end is ultimately most likely to secure victory, no matter our life circumstances or challenges.

Our glory rests in finding common cause, discovering and strengthening the bonds of unity and common purpose, appreciating our many differences and thinking about how they all work together for good in the world God created so purposefully. Beneath each of us is a pure and radiant heart yearning to be freed from the “tares of dissension” and the “thorns of doubt,” and when we stop and reflect, each of us can bring that pure and radiant heart out in one another. When things seem dark, dim, or difficult, remember this.

Again, I ask: Where do you turn for your words of wisdom? What words of wisdom guide your life? Wherever they are and whatever they are, keep them close and refer to them often. Amidst life’s busy chatter and all the various forms of noise, they will guide you aright, bring you peace and solace, and attract the best that life has to offer.