At the April 1979 general conference, Elder Gordon B. Hinckley, then of the Quorum of the Twelve, spoke of the tragedy of men of high aim and low achievement. "Their motives are noble," he said. "Their proclaimed ambition is praiseworthy. Their capacity is great. But their discipline is weak. They succumb to indolence. Appetite robs them of will."

He spoke of one such man, a graduate of a great university who "dreamed of the stars and moved in their direction." The man received several promotions at work, each with improved opportunities, until he was in the top echelon of his company. However, the promotions put him in the cocktail circuit. He became an alcoholic, "the victim of an appetite he could not control. He sought help but was too proud to discipline himself in the regimen imposed upon him by those who tried to assist him," Elder Hinckley said."He went down like a falling star, tragically burning out and disappearing in the night. I made inquiry of one friend after another, and finally learned the truth of his tragic end. He, who had begun with such high aim and impressive talent, had died on skid row in one of our large cities. Like Peter of old he had felt certain of his strength and of his capacity to live up to his potential. But he had denied that capacity; and I am confident that as the shadows of his failure closed around him, again like Peter, he must have gone out and wept bitterly."

He spoke of another who failed to live up to his potential, a man who, as a new convert to the Church, prayed for strength to overcome a smoking habit. His prayer was answered. "He looked to God and lived with a joy he never had previously known. But something happened. Family and social pressures were brought against him. He lowered his vision and gave way to his appetite. The smell of burning tobacco seduced him. I saw him some years later. We talked together of the old and better days he had known. And he, like Peter, wept bitterly. He blamed this and he blamed that, and, as he did so, I was inclined to repeat the words of Cassius:

" `The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

" `But in ourselves, that we are underlings." (Julius Caesar, act 1, scene 2.)

"And so I might continue telling you of those who begin with noble objectives, but then slow down, or of those who are strong starters and weak finishers. So many in the game of life get to first base, or second, or even third, but then fail to score. They are inclined to live unto themselves, denying their generous instincts, grasping for possessions and in their self-centered, uninspired living, sharing neither talent nor faith with others. Of them the Lord has said: `And this shall be your lamentation in the day of visitation, and of judgment, and of indignation: The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and my soul is not saved!' " (D&C 56:16.)