Do not strive to acquire the status of a great person, always strive to become a good person. Greatness may induce one to do evil deeds but acts of a good person always stand out as ideals for others. Ravana was a great man. Rama is the example par excellence of a good man. Both were experts, but how different were their attitude! Ravana, though endowed with extraordinary learning, destroyed himself. The root cause for the destruction of his entire clan was his bad quality of ‘desire’. Hiranyakasipu, master of all five elements, was ruined by his evil trait of anger. Duryodhana was ruined by greed; he refused to give even five villages to Pandavas. All these examples of great people who destroyed themselves and their entire clan, teach that one evil trait is enough to cause ruin. Imagine how much worse a fate one will be faced with if one has all six evil qualities - lust, anger, greed, pride, envy, and hatred!

- Divine Discourse, Nov 22, 1999