Nikki Keddie: "One may speak of two sides of [Jamal Al-Din Al-Afghani's] words and actions - political intrigue on the one hand, and organization and political education on the other. He probably would have been a more effective figure had he concentrated on the latter rather than spending so much time on ultimately fruitless grandiose political acts."

Source: Pioneers of Islamic Revival, edited by Ali Rahnema [hereafter "Pioneers"]