Neal A. Maxwell
"Strange as it seems, some are more fair to others than they are to themselves! Morianton, for instance, was able to prosper a whole nation he had conquered with an army of outcasts. Furthermore, as a ruler he dealt justly with his people. However, he was not fair with himself. In what way? Because of his immoral life-style. He was his own victim! (See Ether 10:11.)
"When we sin, we not only sin against God and others but also we actually sin against ourselves. We act against our own self-interest, leaving self-inflicted wounds. Morianton would have done well to follow this sage advice: ’You cannot play with the animal in you without becoming wholly animal, play with falsehood without forfeiting your right to truth, play with cruelty without losing your sensitivity of mind. He who wants to keep his garden tidy doesn’t reserve a plot for weeds.’ (That Ye May Believe, pp. 154-55)
Neal A. Maxwell
“There are many scriptures which are less used, less ’advertised,’ than others, but which speak out to us, nevertheless. For instance, in Ether 10:11 it is said of Morianton the king that, ’he did do justice unto the people, but not unto himself because of his many whoredoms... ‘ How often do we see those in life whose ’public’ contributions are significant, who treat others better than they treat themselves in terms of doing what is right? History seems replete with examples of men whose contributions were superior, but whose lives contained some fatal flaw which kept them from making even greater contributions and, more importantly, kept them from mortal happiness and from working out their salvation. Some shrug off these defects as being insignificant alongside their accomplishment (which no one can take from them). And since one can hardly measure present misery, and can scarcely measure misery retroactively, rebuttal is difficult. Yet, is it not reasonable to suggest that the maxim, ‘no other success in life can compensate for failure in the home’ was operative then as well as now? Conversely put, ’disorder in the passions is mirrored by disorder in the state.’ Personality and politics are inevitably intertwined.” (For the Power is in Them, pp. 35-36)
Neal A. Maxwell
“In some respects, it is easier to govern a whole people than oneself…One can cater to mortal constituencies but lose the support of the one Elector who matters!” (We Will Prove Them Herewith, p. 5)