I said above that I have never regretted the decision to commit civil disobedience, although I had been actually surprised to find myself calmly announcing my intention to do it. I believe both these statements are true; and the same has been true of other situations in my life when important decisions were in question. I have made many mistakes, done many wrong things, and failed to do many things I should have done. But when we went south in 1936, leaving a relatively good and very happy position to go into what looked like a very precarious one, the decision was made only after several years of heart-searching, long and earnest discussions with many friends, and many prayers for light and guidance. This searching with the mind is the preliminary.