“There are those …who enter the world in
such poverty that they are deprived of both
the means and the motivation to improve
their lot. Unless they can be touched with
the spark which ignites the spirit of
individual enterprise and determination,
they will only sink back into renewed
apathy, degradation and despair. It is for
us, who are more fortunate, to provide that
spark.”
(Aga Khan, India 1983)
Ismailimail 
One is not misled by
the incorrectness of religion
But by the ill-will of the
lovers of material blessings
The unfortunate one strays
not knowing the purpose of creation,
Who one is oneself, from where he comes,
and where he has to go
Risala Dar Haqiqati Din – True Meaning of Religion
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Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good. ~ Vaclav Havel
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‘If our animosities are born out of fear, then confident generosity is born out of hope. One of the central lessons I have learned after a half century of working in the developing world is that the replacement of fear by hope is probably the single most powerful trampoline of progress’.
Aga Khan IV, addressing the Tutzing Evangelical Academy, in Germany, upon receiving the Tolerance Award, May 20, 2006
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1)”Islam’s ethics establish an inextricable link between spiritual and material life, Din and Dunya. Consequently, my responsibilities as spiritual leader and interpreter of the faith are coupled with a deep commitment to improving the quality of life. These activities are not limited to the Ismaili community but extend to those who share their lives, whether on a local, national or international scale.
Our duty is to try to free people from poverty. And to me, poverty means being without shelter, without protection, without access to healthcare, education, or credit, and without hope of ever controlling one’s own destiny. This means condemning one’s children and grandchildren to unacceptable living conditions.
A voluntarist and innovative strategy is needed in order to break this chain of despair and total imprisonment”(Aga Khan IV, Madagascar, November 27th 2007)
2))“Ours is a time when knowledge and information are expanding at an accelerating and, perhaps, unsettling pace. There exists, therefore, an unprecedented capacity for improving the human condition. And yet, ills such as abject poverty and ignorance, and the conflicts these breed, continue to afflict the world. The Qur’an addresses this challenge eloquently. The power of its message is reflected in its gracious disposition to differences of interpretation; its respect for other faiths and societies; its affirmation of the primacy of the intellect; its insistence that knowledge is worthy when it is used to serve Allah’s creation; and, above all, its emphasis on our common humanity”(Aga Khan IV, Institute of Ismaili Studies, October 19th 2003)
http://gonashgo.blogspot.com/2008/10/413vote-for-remarkable-hawkers-market.html
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