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Mind, Character, and Personality Volume 1
would know it themselves, and this would destroy their self-respect.
Those who are not conscientious and faithful in little things would not
be reformed, were there laws and restrictions and penalties upon the
point.— ;
Testimony for the Physicians and Helpers of the Sanitarium
1879, 62
. (
Counsels on Health, 410
.)
Self-respect Must Be Firmly Cherished—Moral purity, self-
respect, a strong power of resistance, must be firmly and constantly
cherished. There should not be one departure from reserve. One act
of familiarity, one indiscretion, may jeopardize the soul by opening
the door to temptation and thus weakening the power of resistance.—
Health, Philanthropic, and Medical Missionary Work 1896, 28
. (
Coun-
sels on Health, 295
.)
Respect for Others Measured by Self-respect—Through indul-
gence in sin, self-respect is destroyed; and when that is gone, respect
for others is lessened; we think that others are as unrighteous as we
are ourselves.—
Testimonies for the Church 6:53
(1900).
[257]
By Wrong Habits the Student Destroys Self-respect—By
wrong habits he loses his power of self-appreciation. He loses self-
control. He cannot reason correctly about matters that concern him
most closely. He is reckless and irrational in his treatment of mind
and body. By wrong habits he makes of himself a wreck. Happiness
he cannot have, for his neglect to cultivate pure, healthful principles
places him under the control of habits that ruin his peace. His years
of taxing study are lost, for he has destroyed himself. He has misused
his physical and mental powers, and the temple of the body is in ru-
ins. He is ruined for this life and for the life to come. By acquiring
earthly knowledge he thought to gain a treasure, but by laying his
Bible aside he sacrificed a treasure worth everything else.—
Christ’s
Object Lessons, 108, 109
(1900).
Impatient Words Injure Self-respect—Those who indulge in
such language [impatient words] will experience shame, loss of self-
respect, loss of self-confidence, and will have bitter remorse and regret
that they allowed themselves to lose self-control and speak in this way.
How much better would it be if words of this character were never
spoken. How much better to have the oil of grace in the heart, to be
able to pass by all provocation, and bear all things with Christlike
meekness and forbearance.—
The Review and Herald, February 27,
1913
; (
Messages to Young People, 327
.)