Why were the saints called saints?

[Prometheus]

Alláh-u-Abhá!

Looking for the source of next quotation:
Someone asked ‘Abdu’l-Bahá: “Why were the saints called saints?” He replied: “Because they were cheerful when it was difficult to be cheerful, patient when it was difficult to be patient, and because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still, and they kept silent when they wanted to talk, and were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable. That was all. It was quite simple and always will be.”

Is it real his words or not?

Thank you.

[MontanaDon]

I would say it is obviously a pilgrim's note. but not one in my collection.
The only place I can find Abdu'l-Baha discussing Saints is in Paris Talks, p25, THE TWO NATURES IN MAN,
November 1st. His description there is quite different.

Don C

[Sen McGlinn]

It's not from Abdu'l-Baha, as it is all over the web, usually sourced to "anonymous." It seems likely it is from Geoffrey Hodson, a theosophist lecturer

http://www.theosophy.com/theos-talk/201107/tt00001.html