diff --git a/cmd/tendermint/commands/init.go b/cmd/tendermint/commands/init.go
index c02725717..6a0200a4f 100644
--- a/cmd/tendermint/commands/init.go
+++ b/cmd/tendermint/commands/init.go
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ func initFilesWithConfig(config *cfg.Config) error {
 		}
 		key, err := pv.GetPubKey()
 		if err != nil {
-			return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get pubkey from private validator")
+			return err
 		}
 		genDoc.Validators = []types.GenesisValidator{{
 			Address: key.Address(),
diff --git a/cmd/tendermint/commands/testnet.go b/cmd/tendermint/commands/testnet.go
index c39ebf796..e5fce778f 100644
--- a/cmd/tendermint/commands/testnet.go
+++ b/cmd/tendermint/commands/testnet.go
@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strings"
 
-	"github.com/pkg/errors"
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 
 	cfg "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/config"
@@ -93,7 +92,7 @@ func testnetFiles(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 		pv := privval.LoadFilePV(pvFile)
 		pubKey, err := pv.GetPubKey()
 		if err != nil {
-			return errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get pubkey from private validator")
+			return err
 		}
 		genVals[i] = types.GenesisValidator{
 			Address: pubKey.Address(),
diff --git a/consensus/common_test.go b/consensus/common_test.go
index 09b247ae3..fc20b7be6 100644
--- a/consensus/common_test.go
+++ b/consensus/common_test.go
@@ -13,9 +13,7 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 	"time"
 
-	"github.com/pkg/errors"
-
-	abcicli "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/client"
+	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/client"
 	abci "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/abci/types"
 	bc "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/blockchain"
 	cfg "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/config"
@@ -76,7 +74,7 @@ func NewValidatorStub(privValidator types.PrivValidator, valIndex int) *validato
 func (vs *validatorStub) signVote(voteType types.SignedMsgType, hash []byte, header types.PartSetHeader) (*types.Vote, error) {
 	addr, err := vs.PrivValidator.GetAddress()
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get private validator's address")
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	vote := &types.Vote{
 		ValidatorIndex:   vs.Index,
diff --git a/consensus/state.go b/consensus/state.go
index 1147d4ce0..d836bf60f 100644
--- a/consensus/state.go
+++ b/consensus/state.go
@@ -832,7 +832,7 @@ func (cs *ConsensusState) enterPropose(height int64, round int) {
 	// if not a validator, we're done
 	address, err := cs.privValidator.GetAddress()
 	if err != nil {
-		logger.Error("Failed to get private validator's address", "err", err)
+		logger.Error("enterPropose: Can not propose without validator's address", "err", err)
 		return
 	}
 	if !cs.Validators.HasAddress(address) {
@@ -937,7 +937,7 @@ func (cs *ConsensusState) createProposalBlock() (block *types.Block, blockParts
 	), maxGas)
 	proposerAddr, err := cs.privValidator.GetAddress()
 	if err != nil {
-		cs.Logger.Error("Failed to get private validator's address", "err", err)
+		cs.Logger.Error("enterPropose: Cannot create block without private validator's address:", "err", err)
 		return
 	}
 	block, parts := cs.state.MakeBlock(cs.Height, txs, commit, evidence, proposerAddr)
@@ -1486,7 +1486,7 @@ func (cs *ConsensusState) tryAddVote(vote *types.Vote, peerID p2p.ID) (bool, err
 		} else if voteErr, ok := err.(*types.ErrVoteConflictingVotes); ok {
 			addr, err := cs.privValidator.GetAddress()
 			if err != nil {
-				cs.Logger.Error("Failed to get private validator's address", "err", err)
+				cs.Logger.Error("Can not add vote without validator's address", "err", err)
 				return added, err
 			}
 			if bytes.Equal(vote.ValidatorAddress, addr) {
@@ -1656,8 +1656,8 @@ func (cs *ConsensusState) addVote(vote *types.Vote, peerID p2p.ID) (added bool,
 func (cs *ConsensusState) signVote(type_ types.SignedMsgType, hash []byte, header types.PartSetHeader) (*types.Vote, error) {
 	addr, err := cs.privValidator.GetAddress()
 	if err != nil {
-		cs.Logger.Error("Failed to get private validator's address", "err", err)
-		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "Failed to get private validator's address")
+		cs.Logger.Error("Can not sign vote without private validator's address", "err", err)
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	valIndex, _ := cs.Validators.GetByAddress(addr)
 
@@ -1696,7 +1696,7 @@ func (cs *ConsensusState) signAddVote(type_ types.SignedMsgType, hash []byte, he
 	// if we don't have a key or we're not in the validator set, do nothing
 	privValAddr, err := cs.privValidator.GetAddress()
 	if err != nil {
-		cs.Logger.Error("Failed to get private validator's address", "err", err, "height", cs.Height, "round", cs.Round)
+		cs.Logger.Error("Can not sign vote without validator's address", "err", err, "height", cs.Height, "round", cs.Round)
 		return nil
 	}
 	if cs.privValidator == nil || !cs.Validators.HasAddress(privValAddr) {
diff --git a/node/node.go b/node/node.go
index 0c3ba115f..d8cf06500 100644
--- a/node/node.go
+++ b/node/node.go
@@ -242,7 +242,7 @@ func NewNode(config *cfg.Config,
 		addr, _ := state.Validators.GetByIndex(0)
 		privValAddr, err := privValidator.GetAddress()
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get private validator's address")
+			return nil, err
 		}
 		if bytes.Equal(privValAddr, addr) {
 			fastSync = false
@@ -251,7 +251,7 @@ func NewNode(config *cfg.Config,
 
 	pubKey, err := privValidator.GetPubKey()
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get private validator's public key")
+		return nil, err
 	}
 	addr := pubKey.Address()
 	// Log whether this node is a validator or an observer
@@ -627,7 +627,7 @@ func (n *Node) ConfigureRPC() {
 	rpccore.SetP2PTransport(n)
 	pubKey, err := n.privValidator.GetPubKey()
 	if err != nil {
-		n.Logger.Error("Error configuring RPC. Failed to get private validator's public key", "err", err)
+		n.Logger.Error("Error configuring RPC.", "err", err)
 	}
 	rpccore.SetPubKey(pubKey)
 	rpccore.SetGenesisDoc(n.genesisDoc)
diff --git a/privval/remote_signer.go b/privval/remote_signer.go
index 0d6a47a7f..8675155ea 100644
--- a/privval/remote_signer.go
+++ b/privval/remote_signer.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func NewRemoteSignerClient(
 func (sc *RemoteSignerClient) GetAddress() (types.Address, error) {
 	pubKey, err := sc.getPubKey()
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get private validator's public key")
 	}
 
 	return pubKey.Address(), nil
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ func (sc *RemoteSignerClient) GetAddress() (types.Address, error) {
 func (sc *RemoteSignerClient) GetPubKey() (crypto.PubKey, error) {
 	pubKey, err := sc.getPubKey()
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
+		return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get private validator's address")
 	}
 
 	return pubKey, nil
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ func handleRequest(req RemoteSignerMsg, chainID string, privVal types.PrivValida
 		if err != nil {
 			// TODO: split up PubKeyMsg into PubKeyRequest / PubKeyResponse and wrap the error
 			// into the response as done below. For now we just return the error:
-			return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "failed to get private validator's public key")
+			return nil, err
 		}
 		res = &PubKeyMsg{p}
 	case *SignVoteRequest: