Drinking Upstream from the Cows, Not Downstream

J. Richard Clarke, at the time, 2nd counselor in the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, gave a talk on the scriptures in the October session of conference in which, among many useful things, he mentioned a bit of colorful advice that Elder Marion J. Romney apparently gave on several different occasions in public and in private. It was advice that resonated with me, and still resonates with me (and many others):

I don’t know much about the gospel other than what I’ve learned from the standard works. When I drink from a spring I like to get the water where it comes out of the ground, not down the stream after the cattle have waded in it. … I appreciate other people’s interpretation, but when it comes to the gospel we ought to be acquainted with what the Lord says.

He quotes a bit more from counsel given to seminary and institute coordinators in 1973. I've linked it up there, go read it.

Elder F. Burton Howard was another who quoted Elder Romney on this, in an article in the New Era from 1985, although his version was from private conversation. (Good article on giving and getting, although some may think the language dated.)

Think about this:

Get the water where it comes out of the ground, not downstream where the cows have been wading in it.

And I'm tempted to wax eloquent (or not) about this, but, to make the point more clear, I'll stop here.