Love and Power...

The wise man should keep the balance between love and power; he
should keep the love in his nature ever increasing and expanding, and
at the same time strengthen the will so that the heart may not easily
be broken.

Bowl of Saki, by Hazrat Inayat Khan

Commentary by Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan:

Many seek protection from all hurting influences by building some
wall around themselves. But the canopy over the earth is so high that
a wall cannot be built high enough, and the only thing one can do is
to live in the midst of all inharmonious influences, to strengthen
his will power and to bear all things, yet keeping the fineness of
character and a nobleness of manner together with an ever-living
heart. To become cold with the coldness of the world is weakness, and
to become broken by the hardness of the world is feebleness, but to
live in the world and yet to keep above the world is like walking on
the water. There are two essential duties for the man of wisdom and
love; that is to keep the love in our nature ever increasing and
expanding and to strengthen the will so that the heart may not be
easily broken. Balance is ideal in life; man must be fine and yet
strong, man must be loving and yet powerful.