After completing his abridgment of the accounts rendered by the historians of each period which were engraved on the Plates of Nephi, leaving them relatively with no part lacking and still retaining their proper sense, Mormon proposes to add thereto a record "of the things which I have seen with mine own eyes." Mormon, being an honorable and just man, the record of those things or happenings would be as he, honorable and just. But, he makes one apology, many things that happened among his people, because of a deficiency in their language, or because it lacked some quality necessary for completeness, he says, "We are not able to write."
A fuller and freer conception of this defect in their writing, is made manifest to us by Mormon's son, Moroni, who was commanded of the Lord to include in the record he was making somewhat concerning the promises the righteous leaders of the Nephites had obtained from the Lord: that a knowledge of Christ should come unto his brethren, the Lamanites, a remnant of whom would still live for many generations upon the land which the Lord, Himself, had given them. Moroni did as he was commanded, but, nevertheless, he felt incapable of fully fulfilling the Lord's requirements. He sought the help of the Lord, and of his prayer to the Almighty, Moroni wrote:
"And I said unto Him: Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things, because of our weakness in writing; for Lord Thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but Thou hast not made us mighty in writing; for Thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which Thou hast given them. And Thou hast made us that we could write but little, because of the awkwardness of our hands. Behold, Thou hast not made us mighty in writing like unto the Brother of Jared, for Thou madest him that the things which he wrote were mighty even as Thou art, unto the overpowering of man to read them. Thou hast also made our words powerful and great, even that we cannot write them; wherefore, when we write we behold our weakness, and stumble because of the placing of our words; and I fear lest the Gentiles shall mock at our words." (Mormon 9:30-31)
"And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these." (Ibid., 8:12)