Finances: Becoming Self-Reliant

“Since the beginning of time man has been counseled to earn his own way, thereby becoming self-reliant. It is easy to understand the reason why the Lord places so much emphasis on this principle when we come to understand that it is tied very closely to freedom itself.

…[the Scriptures tell] 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.

…There is an interdependence between those who have and those who have not. The process of giving exalts the poor and humbles the rich. In the process, both are sanctified. The poor, released from the bondage and limitations of poverty, are enabled as free men to rise to their full potential, both temporally and spiritually. The rich, by imparting of their surplus, participate in the eternal principle of giving. Once a person has been made whole or self-reliant, he reaches out to aid others, and the cycle repeats itself. ...We are all self-reliant in some areas and dependent in others. Therefore, each of us should strive to help others in areas where we have strengths."

President Marion G. Romney, “The Celestial Nature Of Self Reliance”, October 1982 General Conference

Access entire talk here.