"There is a considerable amount of direct testimony to the existence of these Perfected Men whom we call Masters, but I think that the first step which each one of us should take is to make certain that there must be such men; only as a later step will it follow that those with whom we have come into contact belong to that class."
January 1, 1970
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Masters_of_Wisdom_(Theosophy)