It is an act love, in our time, to take upon oneself the task of creating a truly human personality. Here, in Creating the Person, we have an introduction to a range of qualities which are necessary for the accomplishment of that task. Will power, gratitude, self-control, gentleness and self-respect are among the topics addressed. No dogmas will be found here, for, in Inayat Khan's words, "no principle must be blindly followed." Rather, direction is given that may enable the reader to develop these qualities in his or her everyday life. "Our ideals become realities only when enacted amidst the tumult of a life fully lived. Action in the world, and interaction with the people of the world, are indispensible for spiritual maturity. Spirituality is not otherworldliness, but adab, wise conduct. In the lectures that make up Creating the Person, Hazrat Inayat Khan has traced the essential lineaments of a wise demeanor. Ethically exacting but never doctrinaire, Hazrat's teachings portray a manner of being that is within reach of all of us if we would only aspire to it and stay the course." -from the foreword by Pir Zia Inayat-Khan