You'll never get perfection if you fall down. You can cheat others that, "I am in dress of a devotee, so I am . . ." But what is your character? What is your actual value? That has to be judged. That is called bona fide teacher

Expressions researched:
"you'll never get perfection if you fall down. You can cheat others that" |"I am in dress of a devotee, so I am" |"But what is your character" |"What is your actual value" |"That has to be judged. That is called bona fide teacher"

Lectures

Srimad-Bhagavatam Lectures

You'll never get perfection if you fall down. You can cheat others that, "I am in dress of a devotee, so I am . . ." But what is your character? What is your actual value? That has to be judged. That is called bona fide teacher. All right, chant.

740117 - Lecture SB 01.16.21 - Honolulu

Prabhupāda: As soon as you fail to keep your promise, then you're fallen. You have to rectify yourself. Immediately you're fallen. Yaḥ śāstra-vidhim utsṛjya vartate kāma-kārataḥ, na sa siddhim (BG 16.23). That means you'll never get perfection if you fall down. You can cheat others that, "I am in dress of a devotee, so I am . . ." But what is your character? What is your actual value? That has to be judged. That is called bona fide teacher. All right, chant. (japa) Any questions?

Devotee (1): Yes, one more.

Guest: Is the exterior clothing important?

Prabhupāda: Ah?

Guest: Is the exterior identification important?

Prabhupāda: Yes, important. Just like officially the policeman must dress, but a policeman sometimes in ordinary cloth also does his duty. But that is special case. But external, external dress is also required. By . . . in the dress of a police if he is a thief, that is very dangerous. That is very dangerous. Just like this dress of sannyāsī, saffron cloth, one will respect that, "Here is a sannyāsī." But if he is a thief in a dress of a sannyāsī, that is dangerous. That is dangerous.