Self-Reliance is a prerequisite to the complete freedom to act.

While the Lord will magnify us in both subtle and dramatic ways, he can only guide our footsteps when we move our feet.

The possession of a true testimony is the most valuable possession that one could have. It gives one knowledge, the hope and assurance that one, through obedience, can be a partaker of all the promised blessings.

The principle of self-reliance grows out of a fundamental doctrine of the Church, that of agency. Just as each individual is accountable for his choices and actions in spiritual matters, so also is he accountable in temporal matters. It is through our own efforts and decisions that we earn our way in this life. While the Lord will magnify us in both subtle and dramatic ways, he can only guide our footsteps when we move our feet. Ultimately, our own actions determine our blessings or lack of them. It is a direct consequence of both agency and accountability.

Receiving the Holy Ghost is the therapy which effects forgiveness and heals the sin-sick soul.

Not only does inspiration from the Lord compensate for want of facts; it also induces men by self-discipline, to conform in their personal conduct and in their dealings one with another to the highest standards they know. In other words, it gives men the capacity which distinguishes wisdom from knowledge.

Every choice one makes either expands or contracts the area in which he can make and implement future decisions. When one makes a choice, he irrevocably binds himself to the consequences of that choice.