Rabbi Avraham Dovid Tennenhaus relates:

It was erev Shabbos Yud Shevat, 5711/1951, the night before the Rebbe officially accepted the nesius by delivering his first maamar. Everyone already knew that the Rebbe had agreed to lead the Chassidim from that point on.

That night, my father, who was very close to the Rebbe, asked the Rebbe,

?Why should you have all of this bother? It is a huge burden. If you wanted, you could continue to learn in obscurity without all this fuss.?

After taking a brief moment to think, the Rebbe replied,

?If I would have Chassidim who would do their avoda [in these circumstances], it would be worthwhile!?

Translated from the Kfar Chabad Magazine