Our whole society really rests on the capacity of its citizens to give 'obedience to the unenforceable.'

Joseph Smith gives us four follies that must be avoided at any cost. One should never, he says, (1) aspire, for that is what Satan did to bring about his fall; (2) accuse—Satan is the devil, and diabolos means "accuser of his brethren"—never mind that the brethren are as guilty as he is; (3) contend—the first rule the Lord gave to the Nephites was, "For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another" (3 Nephi 11:29); and (4) coerce, or use force to persuade.

To deal with men by force is as impractical as to deal with nature by persuasion.

The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity.

Clearly, it is not by harshness or by severity, or by overbearing methods, that social evils are removed. It is by education rather than by formal commands, by persuasion rather than by threats.