I will first pray to the Blessed and Exalted Lord not to deny you His benevolence, and to guide you to the path that pleases Him. I also pray that you attain your ends that are [the implementation of] Islam and the freedom of the nation. The most serious danger faced by everybody and all the authorities is selfishness. Man’s greatest drawback lies in his self-centeredness. Every problem that befalls a person or the society because of [the actions of] the powerful entities stems from selfishness and egoism. This is what our Imāms have mentioned according to the hadīth.[1] That is, all the faults of human beings arise from this self-centeredness and neglect of God. Though we cannot completely get rid of this selfishness, we can, at least, lesson it. The matter is, of course, very difficult, requiring, as it does, one to be self-disciplined; but it is not impossible. It is difficult but not unattainable. If a person abstains from selfishness in whatever he does, if he pays attention to the larger interests and keeps God in mind, he will be successful besides keeping himself safe from the dangers arising from selfishness.
Sahifeh-ye-Imam, V 13, P 169