Every man must do two things alone he must do his own believing and his own dying.

The saying distills a core Reformation emphasis often associated with Luther: the irreducible personal responsibility of the individual before God. “Believing” points to faith as something that cannot be outsourced to clergy, family, or community—no one can assent, repent, or trust on another’s behalf. “Dying” underscores the solitary, ultimate accountability of the human person: whatever social supports surround us, the final passage and judgment are faced individually. Read together, the line rejects reliance on institutional mediation as a substitute for inward conviction, and it presses the ethical seriousness of conscience—each person must own both their faith and their mortality.