But let the youth choose the influence of, and become associated with, men and women of bad principles and practices, ... and they are polluted. Silent and unconscious influences weave their sentiments into their lives, become a part of their very existence, and they walk on the very brink of a precipice and sense no danger. They learn to love the words of the smooth tongued, the honeyed words of the deceiver, and are restless, uneasy, and unhappy unless they are carried to the pinnacle of someone’s flattery.... To walk in the counsel of the ungodly is the first step toward standing in the place of sinners and sitting in the seat of the scornful.—Letter 26d, 1887. (HP 172.4) MC VC