EP 119: True Principles Hidden In Great Literature
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Unfortunately none of us were given the skills for discovering and living true principles in our education! That lack is wreaking havoc in our lives because we don't always know how to discern what is true. Even worse, we don't have the principles we need that can free us from the persistant problems we face.
In this episode Audrey spend a few minutes in the great classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, demonstrating how a simple tool of the 5 Types of Questions can put us on the path to discovering and living truth.
Join her to gain one simple skill that will uplevel your reading forever!
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PODCAST TRANSCRIPT (AI Generated)
Welcome back to the podcast! I’m Audrey Rindlisbacher, author of The Mission-Driven Life: Discover and Fulfill Your Unique Contribution to the World, and founder of The Mission-Driven Mom and the MDM Academy. I’m so glad you could join me today.
We’re going to talk for a few minutes about how to find principles as we read—using The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn as our text.
These are vital, critical life skills. This is something we specialize in at the MDM Academy, and it aligns with the Third Law of Life Mission: Love Truth. Align Your Life with Principles.
Here’s a little summary of that law:
You have a conviction that God governs the world through natural laws and principles. You understand the nature of principles and can identify them wherever they are found—regardless of who is delivering the information, how they deliver it, or the form in which it’s delivered. You are a devoted truth-seeker who endeavors to find and live according to true principles. You teach principles in your home and work toward their application in every area of your life.
That’s what it means to align your life with principles.
Here are the three principles under the Law of Loving Truth:
- Understand the nature of true principles.
- Search for principles in every area of your life.
- Apply true principles no matter how tough it gets.
That’s what we’ll be talking about today. I’m going to introduce you to a little bit of the method we use to do this and then break down a portion of Huckleberry Finn for you.
If you’re new to the show, you’ll definitely want to keep listening to new episodes, but I’d highly encourage you to go back to the beginning. We’ve reordered the podcast so it becomes a journey—walking you through the different concepts and the detailed episodes on the Seven Laws and many of their principles. That will help you get up to speed.
You’ll also hear lots of mission-driven stories about great men and women whose influence in the world was decidedly positive. It’ll be a really fun journey for you.
And if you haven’t already done so, please head over to themissiondrivenmom.com and grab your free copy of the book The Mission-Driven Life: Discover and Fulfill Your Unique Contribution to the World. We’ve recorded the most updated version of that book, and we’d love for you to become acquainted with the Seven Laws for free. If you’d like a hard copy, you can also order one there—it’s about $17.
So again, thank you for being here today. We’re diving into Law Three, and we’re going to talk about The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
I’ll give you a little bit of backstory in case you’ve never read this great classic. It is hilarious and highly entertaining. If you’ve got LibriVox—an app that provides free audiobooks in the public domain—the reader for The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is phenomenal. LibriVox is spelled L-I-B-R-I-V-O-X. I highly recommend you get that app if you don’t have it; there are lots of good books there.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the follow-up to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In Tom Sawyer, Tom is the main character, with Huckleberry Finn as his sidekick.
Huck has been raised by an abusive, alcoholic father. He’s the poorest of the poor, often living outdoors, never having much of anything. In the climax of Tom Sawyer (and I hope this isn’t a spoiler—it’s a very old book!), Tom and Huck find treasure in a cave and become rich.
So Mark Twain followed up with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. It’s such an important book—maybe some of you read it in school. It captures that time and place perfectly. At the beginning, Twain notes that he worked very hard to make sure the dialects in the book are correct. That’s why the LibriVox reader is so good—he can read all those dialects authentically.
When we meet Huck again, he’s wealthy from the treasure, and Widow Douglas has taken him in—since, as usual, Huck’s father has disappeared. She wants to bring him up to be a proper man. She dresses him, puts him in a bed, sends him to school and to church—all the “civilized” things Huck has never known.
He doesn’t quite know what to do with himself, but he’s trying to get along. Early in the book, Huck complains about being civilized, but he’s also getting a little more comfortable with it. Then he has this conversation with the Widow, and I want to read it to you because it’s so fun and entertaining:
“She told me to pray every day and whatever I asked for, I would get it. But it warn’t so. I tried it once. I got a fish line, but no hooks. It warn’t any good to me without hooks. I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn’t make it work. By and by, one day I asked Miss Watson to try it for me, but she said I was a fool. She never told me why, and I couldn’t make it out no way.”
So Huck thinks prayer is for getting stuff. He prays for hooks, doesn’t get them, asks Miss Watson to pray for him, and she tells him he’s foolish—but never explains why.
“I sat down one time back in the woods and had a long think about it. I says to myself: if a body can get anything they pray for, why don’t Deacon Winn get back the money he lost on pork? Why can’t the Widow get back her silver snuffbox that was stole? Why can’t Miss Watson fat up? No, says I to myself, there ain’t nothing in it. I went and told the Widow about it, and she said the thing a body could get by praying for it was spiritual gifts. This was too many for me, but she told me what she meant—I must help other people, do everything I could for them, and never think about myself. This included Miss Watson, as I took it. I went out in the woods and turned it over in my mind a long time, but I couldn’t see no advantage about it—except for the other people. So at last I reckoned I wouldn’t worry about it anymore, but just let it go.”
Later Huck says:
“Sometimes the Widow would talk about Providence in a way to make a body’s mouth water. But maybe the next day, Miss Watson would take hold and knock it all down again. I judged I could see there was two Providences. And a poor chap would stand a considerable show with the Widow’s Providence. But if Miss Watson’s got him, there warn’t no help for him anymore.”
Here we have a boy with zero acquaintance with religion, trying to make sense of God. And what’s fascinating is—he’s interested. He’s watching people around him have spiritual experiences. He’s even going out into the woods to think and ponder. He really does care.
And I think sometimes people care a lot more than we give them credit for. Huck wasn’t given credit for his efforts, but he was genuinely trying.
This is exactly what we love to do in our programs—help people read, learn, look at life, current events, or literature, and distill truth from it.
So, let me show you briefly how I’d approach this text.
At the Academy, we teach five types of questions. They help us find principles, learn, and have rich discussions. Questions are a powerful tool we don’t use enough.
The first type is a knowledge question: What’s going on here?
We’ve just answered that—Huck is trying to understand prayer and God, but he’s confused.
Then we move to why questions: Why is this happening? Why is the Widow trying to civilize Huck? Why is he resisting? Why is she teaching him about God? Why is he pondering it?
Those “why” questions open up deeper truths.
The tragedy of our public school system is that it often stops at the first type of question—knowledge. Once students can repeat the facts, we assume they understand. But true understanding, connection, and application only come by climbing deeper—layer after layer—through thoughtful questioning.
I don’t have time in this short podcast to go through all five types or to answer all these questions. But if I were teaching this in a group, with my kids, or in the MDM Academy, that’s exactly what we’d do. We’d ask why—and one answer might be: the Widow knows the blessing God could be in Huck’s life.
And why does Huck care? Because there’s something inside him that sees the value in it and is curious about it. I believe that’s because we are children of God, and so we naturally desire to know Him.
All of this could lead us into a beautiful discussion about why this is happening at all. And that takes us to the next layer of questioning—the one I want to focus on today—which is: What’s the truth here? What’s the underlying principle in this story?
Now, what we want to do—and this is something we practice constantly in the Academy and in our programs—is identify the first principles.
First principles are part of natural law. They are ideas and concepts that are true for everyone, everywhere, all the time. They’re things we intuitively know. For example:
- I intuitively know I have a right to protect my life.
- I intuitively know I have the right to say what I want, even if it hurts someone’s feelings.
- I intuitively know I have the right to own things.
Natural rights like these are actually where we start with our students when we’re teaching about truth and how to live as truth-seekers. Because they’re so innate and universally understood, they’re a perfect starting point for learning how to identify and live by true principles.
And I would argue that one of those first principles we all intuitively know is that there is a higher being—something beyond this world and beyond ourselves.
There are many reasons I believe this, but one powerful reason is this: throughout the history of the world, and even today, over 90% of people believe in God or a higher power. That’s way too significant a number across the entire human race to dismiss. It’s not reasonable to say that all of those people, across time and culture, are just ignorant or foolish.
Even those who say they don’t believe in God often define themselves in relation to the God they claim doesn’t exist—which, in itself, is very telling.
So I would say: a first principle here is simply that there is a God, and we intuitively know this deep inside.
Because of that truth, the Widow Douglas is trying to teach Huck about God in ways that she hopes will help him live more effectively.
Now, another really key first principle in Huck’s story—which no one seems to be teaching him—is that his earthly father may be a mess, but he has a Heavenly Father who is good. Huck’s biological father is abusive and absent. But the reality that there is a God, that He is Huck’s Father, and that He loves him—that could change everything for Huck. Those truths could ground his life and give him the foundation he desperately needs.
Instead, what Huck is being taught are practices—like going to church, reading scripture, or praying—without the underlying first principles. And that’s the problem.
Prayer, for instance, is actually a first principle of worship. If there is a God, then we should worship Him. And prayer is one way we do that. But if Huck doesn’t know why prayer matters—if he doesn’t know who God is, that God is his Father, and that God loves him—then prayer will seem meaningless.
First principles always tell us why. Why we do what we do. Why something matters.
That’s what Huck is missing.
And yet, notice when the Widow talks to him about Providence—about God—he says it “makes a body’s mouth water.” Why? Because Huck wants those things to be true. It inspires him. It brings what we would call the Spirit into his heart.
So he thinks, “Wow, this God sounds really good. I’d love to know Him.”
But then someone else comes along and confuses the issue. And because Huck hasn’t been grounded in first principles, he doesn’t know how to make sense of it all.
That’s why Huck goes out into the woods to think about it—but he can’t make any sense of it.
Once we’ve identified some first principles in any situation we’re trying to discern—whether it’s a current event, who to vote for, or how to handle something differently with our child—those principles help us understand why. They give us clarity about what truly governs the situation.
In Huck Finn’s case, the first principle is that he needs to understand there is a loving Father in Heaven who wants to have a relationship with him. If Huck grasped that truth, it could give him the motivation to pray and to keep trying to build that relationship. Prayer is one of the means to do that.
But all of the advice Huck gets about prayer is muddled and confusing.
When I’ve taught these concepts before—whether in a class, a workshop, or a speaking event—I’ll often pause and ask the audience: If you were in this situation with Huckleberry Finn, what would you say to him? How would you resolve his concerns?
We write those responses on the board, or reflect them back in discussion. And here’s what usually happens: most of what people suggest are applications.
Now, this is something we emphasize a lot in the Academy: there are three levels—first principles, principles, and applications.
I introduce this framework briefly in The Mission-Driven Life, and I dive much deeper in my upcoming book How Truth Makes You Free (part one is already with my editor!). Of course, if you join the MDM Academy, we’ll walk you through this step by step.
But here’s the point: what people typically tell Huck are applications.
Applications are personal. For example, the way I pray and the way you pray probably look very different. We’re doing the same general activity, but the details vary widely. Do we pray out loud or silently? Do we use scripture in our prayers? Do we pray alone or with others? Do we pray for a long time or a short time? Do we sing our prayers, write them down, or simply think them?
There are a million possible applications.
Prayer itself is a principle. It’s true for everyone, all the time, and it flows naturally from the first principle that God exists and we should build a relationship with Him.
But the way we personally practice prayer—that’s the application.
Now here’s something really important: true principles aren’t usually intuitively obvious the way first principles are. First principles are innate—we just know them. But principles often need to be taught, discovered, or sought out.
That’s why so much of what we do at The Mission-Driven Mom, in my books, and in our programs is to help people become truth-seekers.
We want you to know why you do what you do—the first principles. Then we teach you how to uncover the principles that govern that area of life. And once you know those, you can create your own applications that fit your unique circumstances.
This process works in every area of life. There are principles of health and wellness, principles of organization, principles of business, principles of marriage—every area is governed by true principles. Whatever problem you’re facing, you can overcome it by identifying the principles in play and then creating applications that work for you.
A really good example of this is Jesus’s prayer.
When Jesus prayed, His prayer was short, simple, and powerful—because it was essentially a list of principles. It’s a model.
He shows us:
- You have a Father.
- You should obey Him.
- He is also my Father, and I obey Him.
- He has laws we are meant to follow—what C.S. Lewis called “the rules for running the human machine.”
Jesus says, “After this manner, therefore pray ye.” Notice He doesn’t say, “Repeat this exact prayer.” There’s nothing wrong with reciting it, but His intent was to give us a framework—an outline of principles of prayer.
It begins: “Our Father which art in heaven.” — Start by addressing God directly: “I want to talk with You. I want to build a relationship with You.”
“Hallowed be Thy name.” — Offer worship. Immediately establish the relationship: He is God, you are not. You honor and revere Him.
“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” — Acknowledge His will above your own. Commit to obeying Him. Recognize that He makes the rules, not you, and that our task is to bring His will to earth, just as it’s already done in heaven.
That’s the structure—the list of principles. It’s not about reciting words; it’s about understanding and applying the principles of prayer.
“Give us this day our daily bread.” So you ask for the basic things that you need to survive, and also those things that will enrich your life.
Then you forgive: “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” This is actually a principle. We go into a lot of depth on the principle of forgiveness in the Academy.
Jesus and other great leaders throughout history have taught extensively about the importance of forgiveness for our mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Forgiveness is absolutely vital. It’s life-giving—it’s like breathing air. Resentment is the great killer of our souls, and forgiveness is the great nurturer.
So this is a key element: we will be forgiven, but only as we forgive. Our forgiveness is vital to our own emotional and mental health. And then we’re asking for His forgiveness. We’re saying, in essence, “We’re willing to forgive others if You’re willing to forgive us,” because we understand that’s a conditional principle.
So we repent, ask for forgiveness, clean ourselves up, and then make ourselves right with our brothers and sisters here on earth by forgiving them as well.
These are all pieces of a quality prayer. These are all principles of prayer.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We don’t want to do what’s wrong; we want to do what’s right. Help us avoid whatever is evil.
And then again, we give glory and power up to God at the end: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” That worshipful close again establishes the proper relationship. We know that we owe everything to Him. We know that He’s in charge—not us. We are His servants, His children, and so we want to do things His way.
The problem for Huckleberry Finn is that the people around him are doing in his day what people today still do.
Maybe if he had spent more time with a pastor—or maybe part of what the widow did for him—when it got really good and Huck was willing to ponder about it, those were the moments when she was teaching those first principles. Principles that had the light of truth in them, principles that would have illuminated Huck’s heart and mind. Truth lights us on fire because we recognize it when we hear it.
That got him interested enough to try the experiment. But for Huck, the application of prayer was limited—he only understood prayer as a way to “get stuff.”
There’s only one line in this entire list of prayer principles that Jesus lays out for us that’s about getting anything. And even then, it’s not about wealth or possessions. Huck didn’t understand the many other principles that could have helped him.
This is such a helpful construction. It’s a very good example of how, like Huck, we get caught up in our own problems. We have a certain lens through which we see the world. We can’t see beyond it. We don’t understand. We haven’t taken the time to get at the “why,” to understand the first principles we’re trying to align with, and then to see what principles might flow from them.
There are many other principles of establishing a relationship with God besides prayer—but the principles of prayer are vital. Huck needed to understand them as such and then be given the freedom to live out prayer, to apply these principles in any way, to any situation, at any time, through practice.
We talk about practicing principles a lot. In the Academy we say: uncover and write actionable principles—principles that can be practiced. That’s what’s most helpful. And then ask: how can we practice them?
As you go through the Academy, you also learn application tools—principles for applying principles.
This is such a good example of how we often get caught up in our problems and can’t figure out how to solve them, because we don’t yet have the tools. Like Huck, we spin our wheels. We get frustrated. Sometimes we throw our hands up in the air and give up. Sometimes we decide this is just our lot in life. Sometimes we rebel against our circumstances and do something radically different, hoping it will make life feel different.
But the real answer lies in the struggle itself. That struggle is happening in our lives because there’s something critical we need to learn.
We can see this clearly with Huck. We want him to have a relationship with his Father in Heaven. It would be such a boon, such a support, such a comfort, because he doesn’t have a healthy earthly father. But he’s blocked from forming that relationship—blocked by his own ignorance of first principles, and by the lack of proper teaching around him.
Now, a really good podcast to listen to in conjunction with this one is the recent episode on the Two Consciences. If you pair those together—and also look up other episodes on principles (just go to themissiondrivenmom.com, click on “Podcasts,” and type “principles” in the search bar)—you’ll find a lot more depth.
Stephen Covey taught that living according to principles is the foundation upon which lasting success and happiness is built. We must be truth seekers, and we must also have the skills and tools to do that.
In the past, when classical liberal arts education was mainstream, people had more tools. That’s why when you read older documents—or the writings of those who lived 150+ years ago, especially in the West—you see words like natural law, first principles, truth, duty, virtue, and character.
These were all wrapped up in an approach to life and to problems that was incredibly liberating. Classical liberal arts education is literally the root of liberty. It’s an education to make you free. The truth can—and will—make you and me free, if we know how to recognize it, articulate it, and apply it properly.
That’s at the heart of everything I’m about, and everything we’re doing here. I’ve seen these ideas revolutionize and transform the lives of hundreds of students. I’ve seen them help thousands of others who’ve read The Mission-Driven Life.
And I want that for you. That’s why I thought this little demonstration from Huck Finn would be so helpful.
Later in the story, Huck’s inability to connect with God and pray becomes a roadblock when he faces another moral dilemma. As I talk about in the Two Consciences podcast, there’s a battle in his heart between the social conscience and the divine conscience.
He thinks, because of what he’s been taught in the South, that slavery is right and that he ought to return his friend Jim to his slaveholder. He wrestles with this, and without prayer, without connection to God, without understanding his divine conscience, the struggle is very real for him.
In the end, Huck is our hero because he chooses to follow his true divine conscience instead of what society is telling him. He chooses to protect Jim. That’s so endearing and so beautiful.
There’s so much in that book to notice, but for now, I hope you can see how even one simple tool—like asking the five types of questions—can help us become better discerners, better truth seekers, and better at laying our lives on a foundation of true principles.
That’s what we want to empower you to do.
I hope this little window into living by principles—and the value and power of first principles—was enlightening for you today.
Thank you so much for joining me. Don’t forget to get your free copy of The Mission-Driven Life: Discover and Fulfill Your Unique Contribution to the World at themissiondrivenmom.com.
Thank you for being here—and I’ll see you next time.
