Truly, God knows that Imam Khomeini -that magnanimous man- shined like a sun, momentarily, in a dark and gloomy world before he departed: so humankind could realize there is a sun, too. After the infallible Imams (the ma’soomeen), we and many others have known no man like this noble man. And if anyone says they do, I believe them to be unreasonable. Humanity should realize that in the divine treasury, there exists a jewel: A man who would take action on anything he felt was his obligation to fulfill.
Speech made by the Leader of the Revolution, December 31, 1990