INDEPENDENCE
SELECTED TEACHINGS
President Spencer W. Kimball
“Couples do well to immediately find their own
home, separate and apart from that of the in-laws
on either side. The home may be very modest and
unpretentious, but still it is an independent domicile.
Your married life should become independent of her
folks and his folks. You love them more than ever;
you cherish their counsel; you appreciate their
association; but you live your own lives, being
governed by your decisions, by your own prayerful
considerations after you have received the counsel
from those who should give it” (“Oneness in
Marriage,” Ensign,Mar. 1977, 5).
President Marion G. Romney
“This scripture [D&C 29:34–35] tells us there is no
such thing as a temporal commandment. It also
tells us that man is to be ‘an agent unto himself.’
Man cannot be an agent unto himself if he is not
self-reliant. Herein we see that independence and
self-reliance are critical keys to our spiritual growth.
Whenever we get into a situation which threatens
our self-reliance, we will find our freedom threatened
as well. If we increase our dependence, we will find
an immediate decrease in our freedom to act” (in
Conference Report, Oct. 1982, 134; or Ensign,Nov.
1982, 93).
Elder Ezra Taft Benson
“Another sterling virtue which builds manliness
and independence is frugality or thrift. ‘Waste not,
want not’ has long been the clarion call. In more
recent years, however, this maxim has given way to
so-called ‘deficit spending.’ Many have been teaching
that we must spend our way into prosperity. How
do you regard this philosophy? Have you stopped
to analyze its effect upon the independence, self-
reliance, and character of the individual? And what
of its possible effect upon the very existence of this
nation as a haven for freedom-loving men and
women?” (... So Shall Ye Reap,165).Elder Marion G. Romney
“First, every individual should value his or her
independence and labor with all his might to
maintain it by being self-sustaining. This the Lord
enjoined upon us when from the Garden of Eden
He sent forth our first parents under the stern
command, ‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread, till thou return unto the ground’ (Gen.
3:19)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1943, 27).Elder Boyd K. Packer
“The principle of self-reliance or personal
independence is fundamental to the happy life. In
too many places, in too many ways, we are getting
away from it.
“The substance of what I want to say is this: The
same principle—self-reliance—has application to
the spiritual and to the emotional....
“We must not set up a network of counseling
services without at the same time emphasizing the
principle of emotional self-reliance and individual
independence.
“If we lose our emotional and spiritual independence,
our self-reliance, we can be weakened quite as much,
perhaps even more, than when we become
dependent materially.
“If we are not careful, we can lose the power of
individual revelation....
“Spiritual independence and self-reliance is
a sustaining power in the Church. If we rob the
members of that, how can they get revelation for
themselves? How will they know there is a prophet
of God? How can they get answers to prayers? How
can they know for surefor themselves?” (in
Conference Report, Apr. 1978, 136–37; or Ensign,
May 1978, 91–92).Elder Bruce R. McConkie
“Temporal and economic independenceis essential if
there is to be absolute freedom of worship....
Anyone whose support comes from another person
or agency is to a greater or lesser degree subject toEvery individual should value his or
her independence and labor with all
his might to maintain it by being
self-sustaining.
—Elder Marion G. Romney137