In his Will, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura writes: “Due to the association of non-devotees one gets material prosperity, and due to the association of devotees the spirit soul gradually becomes absorbed in serving Sri Hari. This is the greatest shelter for a human being.” I would comment that ‘association’ here refers to ‘intimate association.’ In other words, association is necessary for preaching, but we look for ‘intimate association’ only with other devotees.