[Nathan]

In the book of Kings we read about a woman who came weeping to Elisha, the prophet. Her husband had died, and she owed a debt that she could not pay. The creditor was on his way to take her two sons and sell them as slaves.

By a miracle Elisha enabled her to acquire a goodly supply of oil. Then he said to her: “Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.” (See 2 Kgs. 4:1–7.)

“Pay thy debt, and live.” How fruitful these words have ever been! What wise counsel they are for us today!

In the words of wise men down through the ages, we find over and over again this great insistence upon the wisdom of being debt free. Shakespeare put on the lips of one of his characters in Hamlet these words: “Neither a borrower nor a lender be: for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.” (Act 1, scene 3, lines 75–77.)

Others have written:

“Do not accustom yourself to consider debt only as an inconvenience; you will find it a calamity.” (Samuel Johnson.)

“The debt-habit is the twin brother of poverty.” (Theodore Thornton Munger.)

“Poverty is hard, but debt is horrible.” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon.)

“I have discovered the philosopher’s stone, that turns everything into gold: it is, ‘Pay as you go.’ ” (John Randolph.)

“Think what you do when you run in debt; you give to another power over your liberty.” (Benjamin Franklin.)

-from Ezra Taft Benson