An entitlement mentality arises from the false belief that we have a right to financial and material support from others without any effort on our part. People can adopt this expectation in regard to economic support from governments, extended family, community agencies, and even the Church. An entitlement mentality runs contrary to Church teachings that emphasize the importance of self-reliance, doing all that we can to care for ourselves before calling upon others for assistance.
"We have always dignified work and reproved idleness. Our books, our sermons, our leaders, including particularly our present President, have glorified hard work. The busy hive of the honeybee—Deseret—has been our emblem. Work with faith is a main point of our theological doctrine, and our future state—our heaven—is envisioned in terms of eternal progression through constant labor" (Steven L. Richards, in Conference Report, Oct. 1939, 65).
