In order to act your part in the service of God you must go forth with the advantages of as thorough an intellectual training as possible. You need a vigorous, symmetrical development of the mental capabilities, a graceful, Christian, many-sided development of culture, to be a true worker for God. You need your taste and your imagination chastened and refined and all your aspirations made pure by habitual self-control. You need to move from high, elevated motives. Gather all the efficiency you can, making the most of your opportunities for the education and training of the character to fill any position which the Lord may assign you. You need so much a balance wheel in judicious counsel. Do not despise advice.— Letter 23, 1893. {1MCP 301.1}

(301) For at gøre din del i Guds tjeneste, må du gå ud med de ting du har lært i en forstandsmæssig oplæring. Nu behøver en livskraftig, symmetrisk udvikling af de mentale evner, en god, kristen mangesidig udviklet kultur, for at være en sand Guds medarbejder. Du behøver at få sat en dæmper på din fantasi og forædles og al din higen rengjort af selvkontrollens vane. Du behøver at handle ud fra høje og ophøjede motiver. Indsamle al den kraft du kan, og få det meste ud af din uddannelse og karakteroplæring til at udfylde den stilling som Herren kunne tiltænke dig. Du behøver ganske meget afbalancering i form af kloge råd. Foragt ikke råd. - Brev 23, 1893.