Prophetgrams
Inspired teachings for our times from
prophets, apostles, and general authorities of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
Book of Mormon
"Perhaps no other book has been denounced so vigorously by those who have never read it as has the Book of Mormon." Boyd K. Packer, LDS General Conference, April 1986
"The Book of Mormon is not on trial--the people of the world, including the members of the Church, are on trial as to what they will do with this second witness of Christ." Ezra Taft Benson, LDS General Conference, October 1984
"Would not the progress of the Church increase dramatically today with an increasing number of those who are spiritually reborn? Can you imagine what would happen in our homes? Can you imagine what would happen with an increasing number of copies of the Book of Mormon in the hands of an increasing number of missionaries who know how to use it and who have been born of God? When this happens, we will get the bounteous harvest of souls that the Lord promised. It was the 'born of God' Alma who as a missionary was so able to impart the word that many others were also born of God. (See Alma 36:23-26.)" Ezra Taft Benson, Mission Presidents Seminar, Provo, Utah, 25 June 1986
"You know of my great love for the Book of Mormon. Sister Benson and I try to read it every morning, and we have a great love for that book. The Book of Mormon is the instrument that God has designed to 'sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out His elect unto the New Jerusalem.' This sacred volume of scripture has not been, nor is it yet, central in our preaching, our teaching, and our missionary work." Ezra Taft Benson, Salt Lake City, Utah, 5 March 1987
"I cannot understand how any intelligent man could think that anyone without the help of the Lord could have produced the Book of Mormon, which has been before us now for more than a hundred years and has stood the test during all that period of time, notwithstanding the ridicule that has been brought against it, for one reason or another. Today that book, which was translated by Joseph Smith as the instrumentality of the Lord, stands out supreme. It is today the greatest missionary that we have for proclaiming this gospel; there is nothing else to compare with it." Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards p. 15
"I counsel you, my beloved brothers and sisters and friends everywhere, to make reading the Book of Mormon a few minutes each day a lifelong practice. All of us need the uninterrupted association with the Spirit of the Lord. We need to take the Holy Spirit for our constant guide that we be not deceived. I am persuaded by my own experience and that of my loved ones, as well as by the statements of the Prophet Joseph Smith, that one can get and keep closer to the Lord by reading the Book of Mormon than by reading any other book. Don't be content with what someone else tells you about what is in it. Drink deeply from the divine fountain itself." Marion G. Romney, LDS General Conference, April 1980
"I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity - the pure love of Christ - will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness." Marion G. Romney, LDS General Conference, April 1980
"I know of no other writing [than the Book of Mormon] which sets forth with such clarity the tragic consequeinces to societies that follow courses contrary to the commandments of God. Its pages trace the stories of two distinct civilizations that flourished on this Western Hemisphere. Each began as a small nation, its people walking in the fear of the Lord. But with prosperity came growing evils. The people succumbed to the wiles of ambitious and scheming leaders who oppressed them with burdensome taxes, who lulled them with hollow promises, who countenanced and even encouraged loose and lascivious living, who led them into terrible wars that resulted in the death of millions and the final and total extinction of two great civilizations in two different eras. No other written testament so clearly illustrates the fact that when men and nations walk in the fear of God and in obedience to his commandments, they prosper and grow, but when they disregard him and his word, there comes a decay that, unless arrested by righteousness, leads to impotence and death. The Book of Mormon is an affirmation of the Old Testament proverb, 'Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people' (Prov. 14:34)." Gordon B. Hinkley, Ensign, November 1979, p.8
"If the Book of Mormon is true, Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, for he was the instrument in the hands of God in bringing to light this testimony of the divinity of our Lord….I repeat, if the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is true, for the same authority under which this sacred record came to light is present and manifest among us today. It is a restoration of the Church set up by the Savior in Palestine. It is a restoration of the Church set up by the Savior when he visited this continent as set forth in this sacred record" Gordon B. Hinkley, Be Thou an Example, pp. 104-5.
"Without reservation I promise you that if you will prayerfully read the Book of Mormon, regardless of how may times you previously have read it, there will come into your hearts an added measure of the spirit of the Lord. There will come a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to his commandments, and there will come a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God." Gordon B. Hinkley, The Power of the Book of Mormon, Ensign, June 1988, p.6.
Accountability
"The decisions we make, individually and personally, become the fabric of our lives. That fabric will be beautiful or ugly according to the threads of which it is woven. I wish to say particularly to the young men who are here that you cannot indulge in any unbecoming behavior without injury to the beauty of the fabric of your lives. Immoral acts of any kind will introduce an ugly thread. Dishonesty of any kind will create a blemish. Foul and profane language will rob the pattern of its beauty." Gordon B. Hinckley, LDS General Conference, April 1995
"There isn't any way to cheat nature, to bypass law, to run away from life. The commandments haven't been repealed; the laws of morality, the spiritual laws, the laws of life are still in force and effect. " Richard L. Evans, CR, October 1969, p. 67
"Does the law of gravity exist? Does it have effect in your life? If you jump from a high place, will your body not fall? Can you defy gravity? Can you step outside of its control? Does the law of the gospel of Jesus Christ exist? Does it have effect in your life? If you disobey its limits and conditions, will your spirit not fall? Can you defy the law of the gospel of Jesus Christ? Can you step outside its control?" William R. Bradford, Ensign, November 1988
Adversity
"Have you ever seen someone who has been helpless for so long that he has divested himself of every envy and jealousy and ugliness in his whole life, and who has perfected his life? I have. Have you seen mothers who have struggled with, perhaps, unfortunate children for years and years, and have become saints through it? … No pain suffered by man or woman upon the earth will be without its compensating effects if it be suffered in resignation and if it be met with patience" (Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball [1982], 167-68).
"And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord" (Mosiah 24:15).
"It is not on the pinnacle of success and ease where men and women grow most. It is often down in the valley of heartache and disappointment and reverses where men and women grow into strong characters" (Ezra Taft Benson in Conference Report, Stockholm Sweden Area Conference, 1974, 70).
"Every reversal can be turned to our benefit and blessing and can make us stronger, more courageous, more godlike" (Ezra Taft Benson in Conference Report, Philippine Islands Area Conference, 1975, 11).
"We came to mortal life to encounter resistance. It was part of the plan for our eternal progress. Without temptation, sickness, pain, and sorrow, there could be no goodness, virtue, appreciation for well-being, or joy" ("God Will Have a Tried People," Ensign, May 1980, 25).
"Trials, disappointments, sadness, and heartache come to us from two basically different sources. Those who transgress the laws of God will always have those challenges. The other reason for adversity is to accomplish the Lord's own purposes in our life that we may receive the refinement that comes from testing. … [Some trials] are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1995, 18; or Ensign, Nov. 1995, 16).
"Life never was intended to be easy. Rather, it is a period of proving and growth. It is interwoven with difficulties, challenges, and burdens. … Yet these very forces, if squarely faced, provide opportunity for tremendous personal growth and development. The conquering of adversity produces strength of character, forges self-confidence, engenders self-respect, and assures success in righteous endeavor" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1981, 13; or Ensign, Nov. 1981, 11).
"Too many of us seem to expect that life will flow ever smoothly, featuring an unbroken chain of green lights with empty parking places just in front of our destinations!" Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, November 1989, p.82
"We are not measured by the trials we meet -- only by those we overcome." Spencer W. Kimball
"It is said an Eastern monarch once charged his wise men to invent him a sentence to be ever in view, and which should be true and appropriate in all times and situations. They presented him the words: 'And this, too, shall pass away.' How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!" Abraham Lincoln, The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln edited by Roy P. Basler, Volume III, Address Before the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (September 30, 1859), pp. 481-482
"every vicissitude we pass through is necessary for experience and example, and for preparation to enjoy that reward which is for the faithful" (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young [1997], 262).
"Safety, peace, joy, and security are found only in the life and mission of Jesus Christ, the Son of Almighty God. … "Does that mean we will not have turmoil or personal problems or sickness or family challenges or employment difficulties? Not at all. But it does mean that if our faith is anchored securely in our testimonies of Christ, we will be able to cope with whatever adversity comes our way. … If we keep the eye of faith focused on Christ, we gain a broader view and an eternal perspective, and with that we can understand adversity from within the context of Heavenly Father's eternal plan for all of His children" (Elder M. Russell Ballard " 'When Shall These Things Be?' " Ensign, December 1996, 61).
Agency
"Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him; and also that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten I caused that he should be cast down; and be became Satan." JST Genesis 3:4
"And in the garden of Eden gave I unto man his agency; and unto thy brethren have I said, and also gave commandment, that they should love one another; and that they should choose me their Father." JST Genesis 7:40
"He commenced his observations by remarking that the kindness of our Heavenly Father called for our heartfelt gratitude. He then observed that Satan was generally blamed for the evils which we did, but if he was the cause of all our wickedness, men could not be condemned. The devil could not compel mankind to do evil; all was voluntary. Those who resisted the Spirit of God, would be liable to be led into temptation, and then the association of heaven would be withdrawn from those who refused to be made partakers of such great glory. God would not exert any compulsory means, and the devil could not; and such ideas as were entertained [on these subjects] by many were absurd. The creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but Christ subjected the same in hope—all are subjected to vanity while they travel through the crooked paths and difficulties which surrounded them. Where is the man that is free from vanity? None ever were perfect but Jesus: and why was He perfect? Because He was the Son of God, and had the fullness of the Spirit, and greater power than any man. But notwithstanding their vanity, men look forward with hope (because they are "subjected in hope") to the time of their deliverance." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Four 1839–42, p.187
"Whether they make good or bad use of it, all power is ordained of God and is in his hand. He sets up a kingdom here, and pulls down another there at his pleasure. He breaks the nations like a potter's vessel; he forms a nucleus, and around it builds up a kingdom or nation, permitting the people to act upon their own agency, that they may do right, or corrupt themselves, as did the Children of Israel; and after they have become ripe for destruction, they will be scattered to the four winds. If the people of God in ancient days had continued holy they would have continued in power and authority to this day." 7:148. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.19
"Who will redeem the earth, who will go forth and make the sacrifice for the earth and all things it contains?" The Eldest Son said: "Here am I"; and then he added, "Send me." But the second one, which was "Lucifer, Son of the Morning," said, "Lord, here am I, send me, I will redeem every son and daughter of Adam and Eve that lives on the earth, or that ever goes on the earth." "But," says the Father, "that will not answer at all. I give each and every individual his agency; all must use that in order to gain exaltation in my kingdom; inasmuch as they have the power of choice they must exercise that power. They are my children; the attributes which you see in me are in my children and they must use their agency. If you undertake to save all, you must save them in unrighteousness and corruption. You will be the man that will say to the thief on the cross, to the murderer on the gallows, and to him who has killed his father, mother, brothers, and sisters and little ones, 'Now, if you will say, I repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, or on the Savior of the world, you shall be saved.'" This is what all the religious sects of the day are saying now, but Jesus did not say any such thing. 13:282. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.53 - p.54
"All rational beings have an agency of their own; and according to their own choice they will be saved or damned." 6:97. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.62
"The volition of the creature is free; this is a law of their existence and the Lord cannot violate his own law; were he to do that, he would cease to be God. He has placed life and death before his children, and it is for them to choose. If they choose life, they receive the blessing of life; if they choose death, they must abide the penalty. This is a law which has always existed from all eternity, and will continue to exist throughout all the eternities to come. Every intelligent being must have the power of choice, and God brings forth the results of the acts of his creatures to promote his Kingdom and subserve his purposes in the salvation and exaltation of his children." 11:272. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.62
"My independence is sacred to me—it is a portion of that same Diety that rules in the heavens. There is not a being upon the face of the earth who is made in the image of God, who stands erect and is organized as God is, that would be deprived of the free exercise of his agency so far as he does not infringe upon other's rights, save by good advice and a good example." 10:191. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.62
"When the Lord made man, he made him an agent accountable to his God, with liberty to act and to do as he pleases to a certain extent in order to prove himself. There is a law that governs man thus far; but the law of the celestial kingdom, as I have frequently told you, is, and always will be, the same to all the children of Adam." 2:139. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.62
"He has given them the privilege of choosing for themselves, whether it be good or evil; but the results of our choice is still in his hand. All his children have the right of making a path for themselves of walking to the right or to the left, or telling the truth or that which is not true. This right God has given to all people who dwell on the earth, and they can legislate and act as they please; but God holds them in his hands, and he will bring forth the results of his glory, and for the benefit of those who love and serve him, and he will make the wrath of men to praise him. All of us are in the hands of that God." 13:178. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.62
"We possess no ability, only that which is given us of God. He has endowed us with glorious faculties, with God-like attributes like those which are incorporated in his own nature, and he has placed us upon this earth to honor them, and to sanctify ourselves and the earth preparatory to enjoying it in its celestial state. We are not, in anything, independent of God. We inherit what we possess from him. Yet it is so ordained, in the fathomless wisdom of God, that we should be agents to ourselves to choose the good or the evil, and thereby save and exalt our existence, or lose it." 10:265. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.62 - p.63
"Our Father controls the results of our acts at his own pleasure, and we cannot prevent it. Man can produce and control his own acts, but he has no control over their results. God causes even the wrath of man to praise him, to redound to his glory and the salvation of his children." 8:18. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.63
"The Lord has not established laws by which I am compelled to have my shoes made in a certain style. He has never given a law to determine whether I shall have a square-toed boot or a peaked-toe boot; whether I shall have a coat with the waist just under my arms, and the skirts down to my heels; or whether I shall have a coat like the one I have on. Intelligence, to a certain extent, was bestowed both upon Saint and sinner, to use independently, aside from whether they have the law of the Priesthood or not, whether they have ever heard of it or not." 2:139. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.63
"Every soul is precious in the sight of God. We are all his children and he desires our salvation. Free agency is given to each individual, but still the Lord has placed the responsibility upon all parents in the Church to teach their children in light and truth. He has placed the obligation upon all parents that they must teach the first principles of the Gospel to their children, teach them to pray, and see that they are baptized when they are eight years of age. Parents cannot shirk or neglect this great responsibility without incurring the displeasure of a righteous God. He has not relinquished his claim upon his children when they are born into this world and therefore commands parents to teach their offspring so that they may be brought up in the truth of the everlasting Gospel. For parents to fail to do this places them in condemnation and the sin of such neglect will have to be answered with punishment on their own heads. This is a law unto Zion and all of her stakes." Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Vol 2, p.31
"Just what authority Lucifer held before his rebellion we do not know, but he was an angel of light, his name, Lucifer, meaning torchbearer. Agency was given unto the spirits of men, and they had their talents and individual traits of character there as they do here. It was due to this fact that Lucifer, who was proud and ambitious, rebelled against the Father when his plan for the salvation of fallen man [page 52] was rejected. (See Moses 4:1-4 and Abraham 3:27-28.) It may, on first thought, appear that it was a good plan to offer to save ALL of the children of God; but a more careful reflection will reveal that it was an impossible plan. The only way that exaltation can come is by granting to each individual the agency to make choices for himself, to exercise personal preferment, choosing good or evil, according to his desire, "whether it be unto death or unto life." (Alma 29:4.) The Gospel plan, of necessity will bring sorrow, remorse and punishment to all who reject it and will not repent (D. & C. 19:16-18), but the Lord will save in some degree all the workmanship of his hands except the sons of perdition." Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Vol 2, p.51
"Free agency is a gift of God." Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Vol 3, p.14
"There are many reasons why the worth of souls is great in the sight of God, and why he desires to have them redeemed. First, man is the offspring of God in the spirit; we are his children, and as such he has a deep love and earnest concern for us one and all. It is necessary, however, to bring about his purposes and the salvation and exaltation of his children, that they have the free exercise of free agency, which is a gift from God. Therefore when we come in contact with mortal conditions with all their sin and temptation, many of us fail to continue in the path which leads to glory and exaltation wherein we may become the sons and daughters of God and as heirs have the fulness of his kingdom. It becomes necessary, therefore, that punishments as well as rewards be meted out, and based on the law of justice men will be assigned to the place which they merit because of their actions. In speaking to Enoch the Lord wept because of the wickedness of men. It is not the will of the Lord, as once was taught so generally, that some men are created for damnation and some for salvation. The Lord would have all men to be saved, and the privilege is theirs if they will receive it. Second, it is the privilege of those who are faithful to become like God. The human soul will not only become immortal through the resurrection, but may be exalted to godhood, as a joint heir with Jesus Christ. Man's possibilities as a son of God are unlimited, because he too, like his father, will be infinite. A soul, therefore, is worth more than a world which is created for his habitation." Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Vol 1, p.78
"Today, as in the day when this revelation was given for the government of Zion, men are expected to bring to pass much righteousness without being commanded in all things. The Lord has given us the great gift of agency, but he expects us to use this gift in his service. If we do good, we shall receive the reward; if we obey the covenants we make, the promised blessings are assured. If, however, we break these covenants and do not abide in the law of God, then we have no promise and the blessings shall be withdrawn. The fact that covenants are sealed upon our heads does not entitle us to the blessings except we abide by the law upon which these blessings are based. (D. and C. 130:20-21.) There may be many disappointments to those who have not, in faithfulness, kept the law.
Why is there suffering in the world?" Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Vol 1, p.196
"The doctrine of eternal judgment is also vital to our existence. It is only just that every man should be judged according to his works. Free agency has been given to each of us and we have access to knowledge of the truth; therefore as agents to ourselves we merit the reward or punishment which will be measured to us hereafter. The Lord has made provision for all those who have not been subject to law, and this is well expressed by Alma: "Yea, and I know that good and evil have come before all men; he that knoweth not good from evil is blameless but he that knoweth good and evil, to him it is given according to his desires, whether he desireth good or evil, life or death, joy or remorse of conscience." (Alma 29:5.)" Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Vol 4, p.33
"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." This is the reiteration of the gospel of free agency. It was upon this foundation that the American Government was formed. There is no compulsion, or coercion in the kingdom of God. Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, Vol 4, p.101
Character
"In the conduct of our lives we learn that good character-building habits mean everything. It is by such behavior that we harvest the real substance and value of life. The way we live outweighs any words we may profess to follow." Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Good Habits Develop Good Character, General Conference, October 4, 1974
"The ways of life acceptable to the people of the world are not always acceptable to God. His standards, however, are for all people. They do not change but resolutely and continually point the true way of life for his children." Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Good Habits Develop Good Character, General Conference, October 4, 1974
"We should conduct ourselves wisely before God and sin not. We should not yield to the persuasion of men with evil intent." Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Good Habits Develop Good Character, General Conference, October 4, 1974
"Bad habits are a reflection of our thoughts and personalities, our behavior and conduct. They are degrading to the choice qualities which are our God-given spiritual endowments of faith, honesty, integrity, and uprightness." Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Good Habits Develop Good Character, General Conference, October 4, 1974
"Evil tendencies destroy character and ruin lives. When first yielding to sin, one's resistance, self-control, and character are weakened and further transgressions usually result. With violation of spiritual laws and rejection of spiritual qualities, our powers of resistance are reduced. Eventually we seem to lose complete control of our ability to resist evil. Imagine the great misery suffered by a person who has practiced a vice for so long that he curses it, yet at the same time holds on to it." Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Good Habits Develop Good Character, General Conference, October 4, 1974
"Our great challenge is to learn how to control ourselves. We must learn for ourselves and act for ourselves, being careful not to follow those who are not divinely led. We have a responsibility to thwart the work of the evil one—not to aid or perpetuate his cause by yielding to his enticements to sin. Habits are subject to change and improvement, for the Lord has said, "For the power is in them [meaning people], wherein they are agents unto themselves." (D&C 58:28.) Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Good Habits Develop Good Character, General Conference, October 4, 1974
"One cannot truthfully say he is confirmed in his bad habits, sins, or weaknesses to the point that they cannot be thrown off and repented of. The human will is naturally inclined toward the right. We are spirit children of God and have born within us the power to overcome all evil practices." Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Good Habits Develop Good Character, General Conference, October 4, 1974
"We are not born into this world with fixed habits. Neither do we inherit a noble character. Instead, as children of God, we are given the privilege and opportunity of choosing which way of life we will follow—which habits we will form." Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Good Habits Develop Good Character, General Conference, October 4, 1974
"Good habits are not acquired simply by making good resolves, though the thought must precede the action. Good habits are developed in the workshop of our daily lives. It is not in the great moments of test and trial that character is built. That is only when it is displayed. The habits that direct our lives and form our character are fashioned in the often uneventful, commonplace routine of life. They are acquired by practice." Elder Delbert L. Stapley, Good Habits Develop Good Character, General Conference, October 4, 1974
"Change," he said, "comes by substituting good habits for less desirable ones." Then he added, "You mold your character and future by good thoughts and acts." (Spencer W. Kimball, New Era, Sept. 1974, p. 7.)
"A person's reaction to his appetites and impulses when they are aroused gives the measure of that person's character." David O. McKay, LDS General Conference, April 1964
"The home is the first and most effective place to learn the lessons of life: truth, honor, virtue, self control, the value of education, honest work, and the purpose and privilege of life. Nothing can take the place of home in rearing and teaching children, and no other success can compensate for failure in the home." - President David O. McKay
"Let us consider youth as grouped into three classes according to their degree of aspiration: (1) First in their degree of aspiration: The 'Infusoria' class in which falls the listless, drifting youth. Down among the lowest types of living creatures, there is a little animal that moves about randomly and aimlessly...The Infusoria enter upon life aimlessly, and ninety-nine out of one hundred of these animals perish in consequence... (2) Higher in the scale of intelligence and uplift, there are those who may be classed as the 'firefly men'. Often on a summer's evening you perhaps observed as children what we used to call the 'lightening bug.' These flying creatures seemed most active just before a shower. The light from each would shine but for an instant, then the thing would be absorbed in the darkness. Another momentary flash, then blackness again. Such is the 'Firefly' youth with respect to noble aspiration. He has luminous hours in which his soul ardently desires to rise above all things mean and sordid, and to bask in the realm of enlightenment and beauty. He would be valiant and courageous in defending virtue and right under all circumstances. If he could only obtain strength and power, he would use them to help his fellowmen and make the world better! But when a few hours later he associates with his companions unfired by such noble ideals, the light of his aspiration fades, the fires of enthusiasm die, and his soul is absorbed in the darkness of indifference. However, it is better to have hoped and yearned for better things and had the hopes fade, then never to have yearned at all. The flicker at least shows the presence of a light that might be fanned into a constant flame. That is better than damp driftwood from which will come not even a spark. (3) Then there is the third group, which I call the 'Conifer' youth. In using this term, I have in mind not just the ordinary cone-bearing tree of the Conifer group, but particularly, the Giant Sequoia...Among them is one, 'The General Sherman,' which is estimated to be 3500 years old. It has withstood lightning, floods, fire and still lives on. It has survived because in it is the power of resistance. The 'Conifer' youth senses the fact that man is not just a mere animal, but is rather a spiritual being. He realizes that he is more than a physical object that is tossed for a short time from bank to bank, only to be submerged in the ever-flowing stream of life. There is something within him which urges him to rise above himself, to control his environment, to master the body and all things physical, and to live in a higher and more beautiful world." David O. McKay, Secrets of a Happy Life, pp. 30-31
"The real test of any church or religion is the kind of men it makes." David O. McKay, CR April 1949, p.11
"We are like children walking a path in the rain. We can walk in or around the mud of life as we desire, but with our choices come the consequences. And we are rapidly becoming what we are choosing to be for all eternity." Elaine Cannon, Ensign, November 1983
"You learn to do by doing. You learn to be by being." H. Burke Peterson
"The success of this life is not measured at the end of it by what we have, but rather by what we are." Rulon S. Wells, LDS General Conference, October 1912
"A striking personality and good character is achieved by practice, not merely by thinking it. Just as a pianist masters the intricacies of music through hours and weeks of practice, so mastery of life is achieved by the ceaseless practice of mechanics which make up the art of living. Daily unselfish service to others is one of the rudimentary mechanics of the successful life. 'For whosoever will save his life,' the Galilean said, 'shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.' (Matthew 16:25.) What a strange paradox this! And yet one needs only to analyze it to be convinced of its truth...Only when you lift a burden, God will lift your burden. Divine paradox this! The man who staggers and falls because his burden is too great can lighten that burden by taking on the weight of another's burden. You get by giving, but your part of giving must be given first." Spencer W. Kimball, Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p. 250-251
Church
"The Lord distinguishes between the Church and its members. He said He was well pleased with the restored Church, speaking collectively, but not individually (D&C 1:30). During His ministry on earth, the Lord spoke of the gospel net drawing in fish. The good fish, He said, were gathered into vessels, while the bad were cast away. (See Matthew 13:47-50). It is important to realize that while the Church is made up of mortals, no mortal is the Church. Judas, for a period of time, was a member of the Church -- in fact, one of its Apostles -- but the Church was not Judas. Sometimes we hear someone refer to a division in the Church. In reality, the Church is not divided. It simply means that there are some who, for the time being at least, are members of the Church but not in harmony with it. These people have a temporary membership and influence in the Church; but unless they repent, they will be missing when the final membership records are recorded." Ezra Taft Benson, God, Family, Country, pp. 253-54
"It should be recognized that this Church is not a social club. This is the kingdom of God on the earth. It is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Its purpose is to bring salvation and exaltation to both the living and the dead." Gordon B. Hinckley, LDS General Conference, April 1990
"I have never known a person, man or woman, who attended his meetings, and partook of the spirit and inspiration that are present in the meetings of true, faithful Latter-day Saints, who has ever apostasized." Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards p. 42
"Worship is an individual activity, even at church. If one wishes to worship the Lord, they may do so by song, prayer, and participation in the sacrament. If the service is a failure, it is you who have failed. No one can worship for you." Spencer W. Kimball
Conscience
"All men who have moved the world have been men who would stand true to their conscience." David O. McKay, LDS General Conference, October 1908
"You cannot do wrong and feel right. It is impossible!" Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, November 1977, page 30
"I would sooner have the approval of my own conscience and know that I had done my duty than to have the praise of all of the world and not have the approval of my own conscience. A man's conscience, when he is living as he should, is the finest monitor and the best judge in all the world." Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards p.186
"The only way to cure a bad conscience is to stop doing what we shouldn't, and start doing what we should." Richard L. Evans, cited in The Missionary's Little Quote Book by Dale Jeffrey
"A God-given conscience will not let us rest until our duty is done." Robert L. Simpson, CR, October 1964, P.96
Education
"Get all the schooling you can. Education is the key that unlocks the door of opportunity. God has placed upon this people a mandate to acquire knowledge..."
General Conference, Priesthood Session, October 1997
"There is a spirit working among the Saints to educate their own offspring. If our children will be all we will have for a foundation of glory in eternity, how needful that they be properly trained... There are wolves among us in sheep's clothing ready to lead astray our little ones... Wolves do not devour old sheep when there are any young ones. I have herded sheep long enough to know that. Look after your children." Elder John W. Taylor, Collected Discourses, Vol. 2 p. 138.
"Whatever you do, be careful in the selection of teachers. We don't want infidels to mold the minds of our children. They are a precious charge bestowed upon us by the Lord, and we cannot be too careful in rearing and training them. I would rather have my child taught the simple rudiments of a common education by men of God, and have them under their influence, than have them taught in the most abstruse sciences by men who have not the fear of god in their hearts." President John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p. 273. President John Taylor
"There are three dangers that threaten the church from within, and the authorities need to awaken to the fact that the people should be warned unceasingly against them. As I see them, they are flattery of prominent men in the world, false educational ideas, and sexual impurity." President Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine p. 312-313.
"I am willing that every man shall believe what he wishes, print what he wishes, and say what he wishes within his Constitutional rights, but I am not willing that he shall exploit all his idiosyncracies in teaching my flesh and blood while I pay the bill! I insist that he shall have all the personal freedom he can carry, but I am not willing to extend that full and complete freedom into a gross license and then pay him to abuse that license to distort and debase the minds and hearts and bodies of those who belong to me and are dearer to me than life itself." (Prophets, Principles and National Survival, p. 188.) Elder J. Reuben Clark
"Parents are commanded by revelation to teach their children these principles of the gospel... Then they go to school and find these glorious principles ridiculed and denied by the doctrines of men founded on foolish theories which deny that man is the offspring of God... These theories so dominate the secular education of our youth. They are constantly published in our newspapers, in magazines and other periodicals, and those who believe in God and his divine revelations frequently sit supinely by without raising a voice of protest. Under these conditions, is it any wonder the student is confused? He does not know whether to believe what his parents and the Church have taught him, or to believe what the teacher says and is written in the textbook. Naturally, students have confidence in their teachers and as confidence increases, there comes a lack of confidence in the doctrines of the Church and the parental instruction." (Man: His Origin and Destiny, p.2-3.) President Joseph Fielding Smith
"There is no knowledge, no learning that can compensate the individual for the loss of his belief in heaven and in the saving principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. An education that leads a man from these central truths cannot compensate him for the great loss of spiritual things." (Doctrines of Salvation, 1:321-322.)
"Still fresh in our memory is the fact that a paranoiac, with a native ability to influence the masses, demonstrated through concentrated effort by specially trained instructors and leaders, how the minds of youth could be directed within 2 decades to accept even a perverted ideal. How near he came to the realization of his aim within a few short years is now a matter of history. If youth can be so influenced to degenerate to the jungle, it can also be trained by united purpose to ascend the path of spiritual attainment." (Gospel Ideals, p. 430.) David O. McKay
"Oh, if our young people could learn this basic lesson to always keep good company; never to be found with those who tend to lower their standards! Let every youth select associates who will keep him on tiptoe, trying to reach the heights. Let him never choose associates who encourage him to relax in carelessness." (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.262.) President Spencer W. Kimball
"In a review of what a student has gained at school, or in a class, he should give attention to things he may have lost. If he knew the value of some things he may have discarded, he would dig frantically through the wastebasket and trash can to rescue them before they are hauled away permanently. He came to school basically to learn an occupation, and likely he has. But as always, there was a price to pay, and occasionally students pay an exorbitant price... Did they come with patriotism and replace it with cynicism? Did they come free from any binding habits and now leave with an addiction? Did they arrive aspiring for marriage, a home, and a family and now have abandoned those aspirations? And critically important, did they come with virtue and moral purity and now must admit to themselves that while they were here they have lost it?" (Teach Ye Diligently p. 184-185, 1979.) Elder Boyd K Packer
"In many places it is literally not safe physically for youngsters to go to school. And in many schools - and it's becoming almost generally true - it is spiritually unsafe to attend public schools. Look back over the history of education to the turn of the century and the beginning of the educational philosophies...which have led us now into a circumstance where our schools are producing the problems that we face." (BYU, October 9, 1996.)
The things we have done in past years are not now sufficient to protect our children in these critical times. It has long been taught in this church that the day will come when no one will be able to stand without an individual testimony of the divinity of this work. That day is here... No longer can we expect the church to assume the major role in teaching our children -parents have this prime responsibility. (Ensign, May 1984 p. 23.) Elder A. Theodore Tuttle
"One of the greatest threats to the work of the Lord today comes from false educational ideas. There is a growing tendency of teachers within and without the church to make academic interpretations of gospel teachings - to read, as a prophet leader has said, 'by the lamp of their own conceit.' Unfortunately, much in the sciences, the arts, politics and the entertainment field, as has been well said by an eminent scholar, 'all dominated by this humanistic approach which ignores God and his word as revealed through the prophets.' This kind of worldly system apparently hopes to draw men away from God by making man the 'measure of all things' as some worldly philosophers have said." (Conference Report 10/68 p. 59.) President Harold B. Lee
"Not only do the scriptures instruct us on when teaching is best done (see D&C 68:25-32; Deut. 8:5-9) but also on what should and should not be taught (see Moroni 7:14-19; 2 Nephi 9:28-29) and who should and should not do the teaching (see 2 Nephi 28:14, 31; Mosiah 23:14). The early teaching of children by parents offers the solution to many problems which otherwise would not afflict our lives. Is not this the ounce of prevention which will eliminate the need for many pounds of cure with respect to our youth? ...The proper teaching of children is truly one of the most essential parts of God's plan for our happiness." (Ensign, 10/91 p. 81.)
Any system, therefore, which forcibly takes from the parents the power to control what their children are taught, and who teaches them, is contrary to the Lord's plan. It deprives parents of their most sacred stewardship and takes the child away from those who are most deeply concerned with his welfare. No state employee whose purpose in teaching is to get gain can be expected to serve the interests of the child as well as the parents who render their service without compensation. More especially this is true when the teacher is prohibited by law from instilling faith in the child... Since state-financed education is one of the principle doctrines of communism, those who accept it have adopted much of the socialist program... It is a widely recognized fact that public schools and universities are the foremost advocates of socialism because they teach it both in theory and in practice." (The Great and Abominable Church of the Devil, p. 135-136.) Elder H. Verlan Andersen
"I feel to warn you that one of the chief means of misleading our youth and destroying the family unit is our educational institutions. There is more than one reason why the Church is advising our youth to attend colleges close to their homes where institutes of religion are available. It gives the parents the opportunity to stay close to their children, and if they become alerted and informed, these parents can help expose the deceptions of men like Sigmund Freud, Charles Darwin, John Dewey, John Keynes and others. There are much worse things today that can happen to a child than not getting a full education. In fact, some of the worst things have happened to our children while attending colleges led by administrators who wink at subversion and amorality. Said Karl G. Maeser, "I would rather have my child exposed to smallpox, typhus fever, cholera or other malignant and deadly diseases than to the degrading influence of a corrupt teacher." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 307.)
"There is absolutely nothing in the Constitution which authorizes the federal government to enter into the field of education. Furthermore, the Tenth Amendment says: "The powers not delegated to the United States Government are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people." Nothing could be more clear. It is unconstitutional for the federal government to exercise any powers over education." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p. 298.)
"From the 5th grade through the 4th year of
college, our young people are being indoctrinated with a Marxist philosophy and
I am fearful of the harvest. The younger generation is further to the left than
most adults realize. The old concepts of our Founding Fathers are scoffed and
jeered at by young moderns whose goals appear to be the destruction of
integrity and virtue, and the glorification of pleasure, thrills, and
self-indulgence." (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, p 321)
"Parents have the responsibility to educate their children. No inappropriate outsider should be allowed to dictate our family's values nor what our children are being taught... In medieval times, great fortresses were built around castles or cities to protect them from enemy attacks. In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites built fortresses to defend their families against the enemies. We must make of our homes fortresses to protect our families against the constant attacks of the adversary." Elder Horacio A. Tenorio (Ensign, Nov. 1994 p. 23.)
Family
"As I look to the future, I see little to feel enthusiastic about concerning the family in America and across the world. Drugs and alcohol are taking a terrible toll, which is not likely to decrease. Harsh language, one to another, indifference to the needs of one another -- all seem to be increasing. There is so much of child abuse. There is so much of spouse abuse. There is growing abuse of the elderly. All of this will happen and get worse unless there is an underlying acknowledgement, yes, a strong and fervent conviction, concerning the fact that the family is an instrument of the Almighty. It is His creation. It is also the basic unit of society.````I lift a warning voice to our people. We have moved too far toward the mainstream of society in this matter. Now, of course there are good families. There are good families eveywhere. But there are too many who are in trouble. This is a malady with a cure. The prescription is simple and wonderfully effective. It is love. It is plain, simple, eveyday love and respect. It is a tender plant that needs nurturing. But it is worth all of the effort we can put into it." Gorden B. Hinckley, General Conference, "Look to the Future", October 1997
"Good homes are not easily created or maintained. They require discipline, not so much of children as of self." Gordon B. Hinckley, Standing for Something, p. 165
"A worried society now begins to see that the disintegration of the family brings upon the world the calamities foretold by the prophets. The world's councils and deliberations will succeed only when they define the family as the Lord has revealed it to be. 'Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it' (Ps. 127:1)." Howard W. Hunter, LDS General Conference, October 1994
"Good homes are still the best source of good humans." Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, October 1974, p.71
"Those who do too much for their children will soon find they can do nothing with their children. So many children have been so much done for they are almost done in." Neal A. Maxwell, CR April 1975 p. 150
"A child needs a mother more than all the things money can buy. Spending time with your children is the greatest gift of all." Ezra Taft Benson
"Good homes are not easily created or maintained. They require discipline, not so much of children as of self." Gordon B. Hinckley, Standing for Something, p. 165
"We should commence our labors of love and kindness with the family to which we belong, and then extend them to others." Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young p.271
"The law of cause and effect is working in parenthood as it is in any other law of nature. There is a responsibility upon all, and especially upon fathers and mothers, to set examples to children and young people worthy of imitation. Parents must be sincere in upholding law and upholding the priesthood in their homes, that children may see a proper example." David O. McKay, Conference Report, April 1927
"The patterns we set in our homes and the values we develop there, whether they be good or bad, almost cannot be overcome." Dean L. Larson, Ensign, May 1983
"The Lord has given us a commandment that we shall teach our children the principles of the gospel and have them baptized when they are eight years of age. If we fail to keep this commandment, the blessings that are promised to us by the Lord will be revoked, and we will have to mourn and sorrow in seeing our children grow up without a desire to serve God. And in after years, when we endeavor to instil into their minds of the principles of the gospel, we will make a failure of it." Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards p.164
"Parents have the glorious opportunity of being the most powerful influence, above and beyond any other, on the new lives that bless their homes." L. Tom Perry, Ensign, May 1989, p. 114
"It was President Harold B. Lee who said that the turning of the hearts of the children to their fathers and the fathers to the children was not only a commission to do work for the dead, but it also applied to the living and the importance of keeping those family relationships intact in this life." Loren C. Dunn, LDS General Conference, April 2000
"The failure of parents to teach their children affects not only them and their children but whole civilizations." Marion G. Romney, Conference Report, April 1969, p.108
"We should remember that any disobedience to God or any other offenses that we pick up in our own lives are soon transmitted to others, particularly our children. That is, the power of example is the greatest power in the world. That is the way we learn to walk. That is the way we learn to talk. That is why we speak with the accent we do. That is how we learn to dress ourselves. That is why we have our hair cut and our clothing tailored the way we do." Sterling W. Sill, CR April 1960, p.68
"Perhaps our greatest concern is with families. The family is falling apart all over the world. The old ties that bound together father and mother and children are breaking everywhere. We must face this in our own midst. There are too many broken homes among our own. The love that led to marriage somehow evaporates, and hatred fills its place. Hearts are broken, children weep. Can we not do better? Of course, we can. It is selfishness that brings about most of these tragedies. If there is forbearance, if there is forgiveness, if there is an anxious looking after the happiness of one's companion, then love will flourish and blossom." Gorden B. Hinckley, General Conference, "Look to the Future", October 1997 Gorden B. Hinckley
Habits
"The accumulation of right choices builds inner spiritual strength and divine character." Rulon G. Craven, LDS General Conference, April 1996
"Good habits are developed in the workshops of our daily lives. It is not in the great moments of test and trial that character is built. That is only when it is displayed. The habits that direct our lives and form our character are fashioned in the often uneventful, commonplace routine of life." Delbert L. Stapley, CR, October 1974, page 25
"The simple fact is this: anything that does not draw us closer to God takes us away from Him. We have no middle ground, no foggy gray area where we can sin a little without suffering spiritual decline." Joseph F. Wirthlin, LDS General Conference, October 1992
"My father used to say: 'The true way to honor
the past is to improve upon it.'" N. Eldon Tanner, Ensign, July 1976, p. 4
Happiness
"Our eternal happiness will be in proportion to the way that we devote ourselves to helping others." George Albert Smith, CR, October 1936, p. 71
"When the Spirit of God burns in your soul, you cannot be otherwise than happy." George Albert Smith, CR, April 1950, p. 169
"The surest step toward joy in the morning is virtue in the evening." Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, November 1986, p. 67
"We each long to have the 'once upon a time' of our lives filled with so much happiness that it becomes the 'happily ever after' of our hopes and dreams. We are living in our 'once upon a time.'... It is living the gospel of Jesus Christ that is our guarantee of living 'happily ever after." Coleen K. Menlove, LDS General Conference, April 2000
"The real secret of happiness in life and the way in which to prepare ourselves for the hereafter is service, and it is because we give service more than any other people in the world that we are happy." Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards p. 187
"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God." Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.255
"Ask any people, nations, kingdoms, or generations of men the question, and they will tell you they are seeking for happiness, but how are they seeking for it? Take the greatest portion of mankind as an ensample, and how are they seeking for happiness? By serving the devil as fast as they can, and almost the last being or thing that the children of men worship, and the last being whose laws they want to keep are the laws of the God of heaven. They will not worship God nor honour His name, nor keep His laws, but blaspheme His name, from day to day... If we really understood that we could not obtain happiness by walking in the paths of sin and breaking the laws of God, we should then see the folly of it, every man and every woman would see that to obtain happiness we should go to work and perform the works of righteousness, and do the will of our Father in heaven, for we shall receive at His hand all the happiness, blessing, glory, salvation, exaltation, and eternal lives, that we ever do receive, either in time or eternity. We should understand that we should not deceive ourselves in this matter, for if we deceive ourselves we shall suffer the loss. We may just as well search our own hearts, and at once resolve that we will do the works of righteousness, honour our Father in heaven, do our duty to God and man, take hold and build up the kingdom of God, and we will then understand that in order to obtain happiness and satisfy the immortal soul in a fullness of glory, that man must abide a celestial law, and be quickened by a portion of the celestial Spirit of God; and we will also understand that to commit sin, break the law of God, and blaspheme His name, will bring sorrow and misery, and it will bring death, both temporally and spiritually. If we walk in the paths of unrighteousness, we grieve the Holy Spirit, and grieve our brethren, and injure ourselves." Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses 4:192
Humility
"Self-esteem is different than conceit. Conceit is the weirdest disease in the world. It makes everyone sick except the one who has it." Hartman Rector, Jr., Ensign, May 1979
"Humility is royalty without a crown." Spencer W. Kimball, Improvement Era, August 1963
"The humble will live, their spirits will be buoyant, and they will live to a great age." 8:181. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.228
"We have to humble ourselves and become like little children in our feelings—to become humble and childlike in spirit, in order to receive the first illuminations of the spirit of the Gospel, then we have the privilege of growing, of increasing in knowledge, in wisdom, and in understanding." 3:192. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.228
"The hearts of the meek and humble are full of joy and comfort continually." 4:22. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.228
"When a person sees things as they are, flattery and reproach are all the same to him, he sees no difference. If he finds that he is pleasing God and his brethren, he is exceedingly rejoiced, and feels an increase of humility and resignation. When a man is proud and arrogant, flattery fills him with vanity and injures him; but it is not so when he is increasing in the faith of God." 12:50. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.228
Jesus Christ
"Faith is the power, obedience is the price, love is the motive, the Spirit is the key and Christ is the reason." James E. Faust, LDS Church News, June 26, 1999
"Continue to make time in your lives and hearts for Christ." Thomas S. Monson, LDS Church News, June 26, 1999
Kindness
"It is a time-honored adage that love begets love. Let us pour forth love—show forth our kindness unto all mankind, and the Lord will reward us with everlasting increase; cast our bread upon the waters and we shall receive it after many days, increased to a hundredfold. Friendship is like Brother Turley in his blacksmith shop welding iron to iron; it unites the human family with its happy influence." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843–44, p.316
"I do not dwell upon your faults, and you shall not upon mine. Charity, which is love, covereth a multitude of sins, and I have often covered up all the faults among you; but the prettiest thing is to have no faults at all. We should cultivate a meek, quiet and peaceable spirit." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Six 1843–44, p.316
"Nothing is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the hand, and watch over them with tenderness. When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, O what power it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human mind." Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 24
"The nearer we get to our Heavenly Father, the more we are disposed to look with compassion on perishing souls; we feel that we want to take them upon our shoulders, and cast their sins behind our backs. If you would have God have mercy on your, have mercy on one another." Joseph Smith, History of the Church 5:24
"As disciples of Christ, we need to feel genuine charity for one another. As we do, new light will come into our own lives. This charity is essential in missionary work, but we must never allow ourselves to treat our neighbors only as potential converts. We have had the sad experience of seeing members of the Church who attempted to convert their neighbors and friends and, when they did not respond, withdrew their friendship and neighborliness. We must not be so anxious to share the gospel that we become insensitive to the feelings of others." Russell M. Nelson, LDS General Conference, October 1988
Morality
"There appears to be something beyond and above the reasons apparent to the human mind why chastity brings strength and power to the peoples of the earth, but it is so." Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine p. 274
"Immorality and unchastity are so common today that our youth, seeing many types, of perversions on television and in movies, are feeling that these are accepted modes of living. I cannot emphasize too strongly the importance of keeping ourselves clean and pure and chaste in order to be worthy to bear this holy priesthood and to prepare ourselves and our families f or eternal life." N. Eldon Tanner, LDS General Conference, October 1976
"But the third subject mentioned—personal purity, is perhaps of greater importance than either of the other two. We believe in one standard of morality for men and women. If purity of life is neglected, all other dangers set in upon us like the rivers of waters when the flood gates are opened."—Improvement Era, Vol. 17, No. 5, p. 476. March, 1914. Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, p.313
"I want to say at this time [1941] that the crying evil of the age is a lack of virtue. There is but one standard of morality in the Church of Christ. We have been taught, thousands of us who have been reared in this Church from our childhood days, that second only to murder is the sin of losing our virtue. I want to say to the fathers and to the mothers, and to the sons and daughters, in our Primary, in our Mutual Improvement Associations, in our seminaries and institutes, in Sunday School, in the Relief Society, and in all of our Priesthood quorums--I want it understood--that the use of liquor and tobacco is one of the chief means in the hands of the adversary whereby he is enabled to lead boys and girls from virtue." Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards, p.55
"Never before in the history of the Church were there so many insidious influences at work among our people as today. Never before have dangers been so threatening to our youth. I am not a pessimist, neither am I one of those who say our young people are worse now than they used to be; I don't believe they are. I have as much confidence in our boys and girls today as you fathers and mothers had in your sons twenty years ago. Most of the boys of today are just as earnest, they think just as much of their religion in general, and just as much of the truth, as boys did twenty years ago. But there are conditions that are worse than they were twenty years ago. There are more threatening influences enticing our boys and girls from paths of duty, than there were twenty years ago; all of which is evident, without further explanation. It is true some of the boys think that the standard of morality has changed. A young man of seventeen said the other day to his mother who had cautioned him about his company:" David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.172-173
"Generally speaking, youth are anchored. Sometimes they seem to waver and digress from the standards. Some of them, it is true, lose their virtue, the most benighting and cankering condition that can contaminate young people's lives. I know that there is a looseness in sexual morality which is dangerous, which is threatening. I know too that such breaking down of moral standards is manifested not alone among the young people, and I warn the Church to guard against unchastity. Keep yourselves unspotted from the world, the fundamental element in pure religion." David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.416
"Thus in the world you have the double standard, but in the Church of Jesus Christ there is but a single standard. It applies to the boys as well as to the girls. If you follow that standard—indeed, if you will listen to the promptings of your best self, your clearest judgment, the whisperings of your own true heart, you will learn this lesson: That self-mastery during youth and the compliance with the single standard of morality is (1) the source of virile manhood; (2) the crown of beautiful womanhood; (3) the foundation of a happy home, and (4) the contributing factor to the strength and perpetuity of the race!"—IE, 41:139 (1938). David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.474
"Man is endowed with appetites and passions for the preservation of his life and the perpetuation of his kind. These, when held under proper subjection, contribute to his happiness and comfort; but when used for mere gratification, lead to misery and moral degradation." David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.474
"Associated with these natural instincts, young folk, is a sin that always seeks seclusion. It is the prostitution of love. God has instituted marriage and the family as the proper condition of expressing in our lives this divine virtue. But sometimes men and women with low ideals and weakened wills permit their passions, like unbridled steeds, to dash aside judgment and self-restraint and to cause them to commit sin that may sear their conscience and leave in their hearts an everlasting regret." David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.474
"In this day when modesty is thrust into the background, and chastity is considered an outmoded virtue, I appeal to you to keep your souls unmarred and unsullied from this sin, the consequence of which will smite and haunt you intimately until your conscience is seared and your character sordid." David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.475
"Remember, too, the significance of the Savior's saying that if any shall commit adultery even in his or her heart, he shall not have the Spirit but shall deny the faith and shall fear." David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.475
"Resist evil, and the tempter will flee from you. If you keep your character above reproach, no matter what others may think or what charges they may make, you can hold your head erect, keep your heart light, and face the world undauntedly because you, yourself, and your God know that you have kept your soul untarnished."—CR, October 1951, pp. 8-9. David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.475
"No one can transgress the laws of chastity and find peace. That is the message to our boys, to our girls. No matter what the opportunity, no matter what the temptation, let the young man of Israel know that to find happiness he must hold sacred his true manhood; let him know that he is going to live and live completely by refusing to yield to that temptation. Then he is happy; he is happy. There is peace instead of turbulency in his soul."—CR, October, 1920, pp. 43-44. David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p.473-474
Obedience
"Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof until all of the events transpire." Joseph Smith, HC 5:135
"We know not what we shall be called to pass through before Zion is delivered and established; therefore, we have great need to live near to God, and always be in strict obedience to all His commandments, that we may have a conscience void of offense toward God and man. It is your privilege to use every lawful means in your power to seek redress for your grievances from your enemies, and prosecute them to the extent of the law; but it will be impossible for us to render you any temporal assistance, as our means are already exhausted, and we are deeply in debt, and know of no means whereby we shall be able to extricate ourselves." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.32
"As we previously remarked, we do not attempt to place the law of man on a parallel with the law of heaven; but we will bring forward another item, to further urge the propriety of yielding obedience to the law of heaven, after the fact is admitted, that the laws of man are binding upon man. Were a king to extend his dominion over the habitable earth, and send forth his laws which were the most perfect kind, and command his subjects one and all to yield obedience to the same, and add as a reward to those who obeyed them, that at a certain period they should be called to attend the marriage of his son, who in due time was to receive the kingdom, and they should be made equal with him in the same; and fix as a penalty for disobedience that every individual guilty of it should be cast out at the marriage feast, and have no part nor portion with his government, what rational mind could for a moment accuse the king with injustice for punishing such rebellious subjects? In the first place his laws were just, easy to be complied with, and perfect: nothing of a tyrannical nature was required of them; but the very construction of the laws was equity and beauty; and when obeyed would produce the happiest condition possible to all who adhered to them, beside the last great benefit of sitting down with a royal robe in the presence of the king at the great, grand marriage supper of his son, and be made equal with him in all affairs of the kingdom." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.51
"God did elect or predestinate, that all those who would be saved, should be saved in Christ Jesus, and through obedience to the Gospel; but He passes over no man's sins, but visits them with correction, and if His children will not repent of their sins He will discard them." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph p.189
"We have thieves among us, adulterers, liars, hypocrites. If God should speak from heaven, he would command you not to steal, not to commit adultery, not to covet, nor deceive, but be faithful over a few things. As far as we degenerate from god, we descend to the devil and lose knowledge, and without knowledge we cannot be saved, and while our hearts are filled with evil, we are studying evil, there is no room in our hearts for good, or studying good. Is not God good? Then you be good; if He is faithful, then you be faithful. Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, and seek for every good thing." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.217
"The Church must be cleansed, and I proclaim against all iniquity. A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. Hence it needs revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge of the things of God." Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section Four 1839–42, p.217
"What is the reason that the Priests of the day do not get revelation? They ask only to consume it upon their lusts. Their hearts are corrupt, and they cloak their iniquity by saying there are no more revelations. But if any revelations are given of God, they are universally opposed by the priests and Christendom at large; for they reveal their wickedness and abominations." (April 10, 1842.) Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p.217
"The Gospel of the Son of God that has been revealed is a plan or system of laws and ordinances, by strict obedience to which the people who inhabit this earth are assured that they may return again into the presence of the Father and the Son." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.1
"Our religion, in common with everything of which God is the Author, is a system of law and order. He has instituted laws and ordinances for the government and benefit of the children of men, to see if they would obey them and prove themselves worthy of eternal life by the law of the celestial worlds. This holy Priesthood that we talk about is a perfect system of government. By obedience to these laws we expect to enter the celestial kingdom and to be exalted." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.1
"That system that brings present security and peace is the best to live by, and the best to die by; it is the best for doing business; it is the best for making farms, for building cities and temples, and that system is the law of God. But it requires strict obedience. The rule of right, and the line which God has drawn for the people to walk by insures peace, comfort, and happiness now and eternal glory and exaltation; but nothing short of strict obedience to God's law will do this." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.8
"It is present salvation and the present influence of the Holy Ghost that we need every day to keep us on saving ground. When an individual refuses to comply with the further requirements of Heaven, then the sins he had formerly committed return upon his head; his former righteousness departs from him, and is not accounted to him for righteousness; but if he had continued in righteousness and obedience to the requirements of Heaven, he is saved all the time, through baptism, the laying on of hands, and obeying the commandments of the Lord and all that is required of him by the heavens—the living oracles. He is saved now, next week, next year, and continually, and is prepared for the celestial kingdom of God whenever the times comes for him to inherit it." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.15
"When the holy Priesthood is upon the earth, and the fulness of the Kingdom of God has come to the people, it requires a strict obedience to every point of law and doctrine and to every ordinance which the Lord reveals." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.132
"With regard to the ordinances of God, we may remark that we yield obedience to them because he requires it; and every iota of his requirements has a rational philosophy with it. We do not get up things on a hypothesis. That philosophy reaches to all eternity, and is the philosophy that the Latter-day Saints believe in. Every particle of truth that every person has received is a gift of God. We receive these truths, and go on from glory to glory, from eternal lives to eternal lives, gaining a knowledge of all things, and becoming Gods, even Sons of God. These are the celestial ones. These are they whom the Lord has chosen through their obedience. They have not spurned the truth, when they have heard it. These are they that have not spurned the Gospel, but have acknowledged Jesus and God in their true character; that have acknowledged the angels in their true character. These are they that work for the salvation of the human family." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.152
"What object have I in saying to the Latter-day Saints, do this, that or the other? It is for my own benefit, it is for your benefit; it is for my own wealth and happiness, and for your wealth and happiness that we pay tithing and render obedience to any requirement of Heaven. We can not add anything to the Lord by doing these things. Tell about making sacrifices for the Kingdom of heaven. There is no man who ever made a sacrifice on this earth for the Kingdom of heaven, that I know anything about, except the Savior. He drank the bitter cup to the dregs, and tasted for every man and for every woman, and redeemed the earth and all things upon it. But he was God in the flesh, or he could not have endured it. "But we suffer, we sacrifice, we give something, we have preached so long." What for? "Why, for the Lord." I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for the man who feels that he is making sacrifice for God. We are doing this for our own happiness, welfare and exaltation, and for nobody else's. This is the fact, and what we do, we do for the salvation of the inhabitants of the earth, not for the salvation of the heavens, the angels, or the Gods." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.176 - p.177
"If we don't want temptation to follow us we shouldn't act like we are interested. No one ever fell over a precipice who never went near one." Richard L. Evans
"Our religion is not a thing apart from our life. It is incorporated in it, and forms a part of the very tissue and sinews of our being. It provides a rule of conduct and of action for us, not only in our occasional worship but in our lives, in our work, in our play, in all that we do in the whole course of our conduct. It is this intense practicality of it that appeals to me as its greatest strength, constituting its greatest salvation for the human family." Stephen L. Richards, CR, April 1917, p. 138
"When one has definitely eliminated those things that he will not do, then he can concentrate all of his time and energy on the things that he should do." Sterling W. Sill, Ensign, December 1971, p. 92
"Obedience leads to freedom. The more we obey revealed truth, the more we become liberated." James E. Faust, LDS General Conference, April 1999
"'Don't you think the commandments should be rewritten?' The answer was,'No, they should be reread.'" Richard L. Evans, Ensign, December 1971, p. 57
"The commandments found in the scriptures, both the positive counsel and the 'shalt nots,' form the letter of the law. There is also a spirit of the law. We are responsible for both." Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, November 1990
"Those who speak of blind obedience may appear to know many things, but they do not understand the doctrines of the gospel. There is an obedience that comes from a knowledge of the truth that transcends any external form of control. We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see." Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, May 1983
"I believe that it is a hell intolerable for a people, a family or a single person, to strive to grasp truth with one hand, and error with the other, to profess to walk in obedience to the commandments of God, and, at the same time, mingle heart and hand with the wicked." Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 223
"I have learned years ago that the Lord stands at the helm that guides Zion's ship...Unless we work exactly to the line that is marked out by him, our works will be in vain...In every branch and avenue of our lives we must learn to work to the line of truth" Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young p. 440
"I will here remark, that it is natural for the people to desire to know a great deal of the mysteries; this, however, is not universally the case, though it is so with a great many of the Elders of Israel. I do not suppose it will apply to those who compose this congregation; your object in being here this evening is not to hear some great mystery of the Kingdom, which you never understood before. The greatest mystery a man ever learned, is to know how to control the human mind, and bring every faculty and power of the same in subjection to Jesus Christ; this is the greatest mystery we have to learn while in these tabernacles of clay. It is more necessary for the Elders to learn and practise upon this lesson in the midst of the Saints at head quarters than in the world; for their facilities for learning are much greater, and I will tell you wherein." Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 1:47
"To [be] valiant...is to take the Lord's side on every issue." Bruce R. McConkie, CR, October 1974, p. 46
"The first condition of happiness is a clear conscience." David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals, p. 498
"Unless we do His teachings, we do not demonstrate faith in Him." Ezra Taft Benson
"I know scores of Latter-day Saints who have been commanded of the Lord time and again, but have failed to receive the blessings promised through fulfillment of the commandments of God, because they have obeyed not." Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards p. 36
"The only safe ground is to get as far from danger as it is possible to get." Heber J. Grant
"When you are in the line of your duty, it is like standing in front of a line of posts, and every post is in line. But step one step aside, and every post looks as though it were not quite in line. The farther you get away from that straight line, the more crooked the posts will appear. It is the straight and narrow path of duty that will lead you and me back to the presence of God." Heber J. Grant, LDS General Conference, October 1935
"For those who are ready to listen to him and be brought under the influence of the Spirit of God and be led by the principles of revelation and the light of heaven, and who are willing to yield obedience to his commands at all times and carry out his purposes upon the earth, and who are willing to abide a celestial law, he has prepared for them a celestial glory, that they may be with him for ever and ever." John Taylor, JD 20:116
"I made this my rule: When the Lord commands, do it." Joseph Smith, History of the Church 2:170
"To get salvation we must not only do some things, but everything which God has commanded...The object with me is to obey and teach others to obey God in just what he tells us to do. It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or unpopular; I will always maintain a true principle even if I stand alone in it." Joseph Smith, History of the Church vol. 6 p. 223
"I have never been very particular to determine when [Church leaders] were speaking as prophets of God and when they were speaking as men. It has never occurred to me that I had the ability to determine that. It has been the rule of my life to find out if I could, by listening closely to what they said and by asking the Lord to help me interpret it, what they had in mind for the Latter-day Saints to do and then do it. I am happy to say, not boastfully but gratefully, that I have never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life." Marion G. Romney, CR April 1941 p. 123
"An enterprising turkey gathered the flock together and, following instructions and demonstrations, taught them how to fly. All afternoon they enjoyed soaring and flying and the thrill of seeing new vistas. After the meeting, all of the turkeys walked home. -- It is not our understanding of the principles of the gospel that brings the blessings of heaven. But the living of them." Merlin R. Lybbert, Ensign, May 1990, p. 82
"If we keep our covenants, our covenants will keep us spiritually safe." Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1987, p. 71
"Personal, spiritual symmetry emerges only from the shaping of prolonged obedience. Twigs are bent, not snapped into shape." Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1990, p. 34
"On occasion I will be asked, 'Brother Monson, if the Savior appeared to you, what questions would you ask of Him?' My reply is always the same: 'I would ask no question of Him. Rather, I would listen!'" Thomas S. Monson, LDS General Conference, April 1999
"If you and I ever get into the celestial kingdom, we have got to keep the law of that kingdom. Show me the law that a man keeps and I will tell you where he is going." Wilford Woodruff, Millenial Star, July 1889, p. 596
"Our aim is high. We aim at eternal life; we aim at immortal glory; we aim at a place in the celestial Kingdom of our God, with God and Christ and those who have kept the celestial law. In order to get there, we have got to keep the same law that has exalted those who have gone before us. This is not our home. We were kept in the spirit world until this generation, and have been brought forth, through the loins of Joseph and Ephraim, to stand in the flesh and to bear off the Kingdom, to hold the Holy Priesthood, to do the works of righteousness, to build temples, to redeem our dead, and to attend to those ordinances which the God of heaven has declared we shall perform. This is our work. We have a long eternity before us." Wilford Woodruff, LDS General Conference, April 1889
Prayer
"Family prayer is the greatest deterrent to sin, and hence the most beneficent provider of joy and happiness. The old saying is yet true: The family that prays together stays together." Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, November 1988, p. 69
"Prayer keeps man from sin, and sin keeps man from prayer." Brigham Young, Quoted by H. Burke Peterson, Ensign, January 1974, p. 19
"Say your prayers always before going to work. Never forget that. A father-the head of the family-should never miss calling his family together and dedicating himself and them to the Lord of Hosts, asking the guidance and direction of his Holy Spirit to lead them through the day-that very day. Lead us this day, guide us this day, preserve us this day, save us from sinning against thee or any being in heaven or on earth this day! If we do this every day, the last day we live we will be prepared to enjoy a higher glory." Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 12:261
"Prayer is the yearning of the spirit. Sincere praying implies that when we ask for any virtue or blessing we should work for the blessing and cultivate the virtue...Why pray for the Kingdom of God to come unless you have in your heart a desire and a willingness to aid in its establishment? Praying for His will to be done and then not trying to live it, gives you a negative answer at once. You would not grant something to a child who showed that attitude towards a request he is making of you. If we pray for the success of some cause or enterprise, manifestly we are in sympathy with it. It is the height of disloyalty to pray for God's will to be done, and then fail to conform our lives to that will." David O. McKay, Pathways to Happiness, p. 226
"Sincere prayer implies that when we ask for any virtue or blessing, we should work for the blessing and cultivate the virtue." David O. McKay
"If you want the blessing, don't just kneel down and pray about it. Prepare yourselves in every conceivable way you can in order to make yourselves worthy to receive the blessing you seek. Brigham Young illustrated this when he said: 'You may go to some people here, and ask what ails them, and they answer, 'I don't know but we feel a dreadful distress in the stomach and in the back; we feel all out of order, and we wish you to lay hands on us.' He said to these people, 'Have you used any remedies?' meaning herbs or whatever the pioneers had. 'No,' they said, 'we wish the Elders to lay hands upon us, and we have faith that we shall be healed.' President Young said: 'That is very inconsistent according to my faith. If we are sick, and ask the Lord to heal us, and to do all for us that is necessary to be done, according to my understanding of the Gospel of salvation, I might as well ask the Lord to cause my wheat and corn to grow without my plowing the ground and casting in the seed. It appears consistent to me to apply every remedy that comes within the range of my knowledge, and then ask my Father in heaven, in the name of Jesus Christ, to sanctify that application to the healing of my body...But supposing we were traveling in the mountains, and all we had or could get, in the shape of nourishment, was a little venison, and one or two were taken sick, without anything in the world in the shape of healing medicine within our reach, what should we do? According to my faith, ask the Lord Almighty to send an angel to heal the sick. This is our privilege...' (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. 163) When we are situated that we cannot get anything to help ourselves, then we may call upon the Lord and His servants who can do all. But it is our duty to do what we can within our own power." Harold B. Lee, Stand Ye in Holy Places, pp. 244-245
"A few years ago, Bishop Stanley Smoot was interviewed by President Spencer W. Kimball. President Kimball asked, 'How often do you have family prayer?' Bishop Smoot answered, 'We try to have family prayer twice a day, but we average about once.' President Kimball answered, 'In the past, having family prayer once a day may have been all right. But in the future it will not be enough if we are going to save our families.'" James E. Faust, LDS General Conference, October 1990
"I have reason to believe that many of the Latter-day Saints, during a great portion of their lives, could approach the Lord in all confidence and make this same prayer-- 'Search me, O God, and know my heart, and see if there be any wicked way in me (Psalm 139:23-24);' but if we, as a people could live so as to be able at all times to bow before the Lord and offer up a prayer like this, what a delightful thing it would be, what an attainment we should have acquired in righteousness and good works! To every person who has at heart the preparing of himself for the great change, that is the work of regeneration, I would recommend that he adopt this prayer of David, and see how near he can live according to the light that he has, so as to make it in all sincerity part of his devotions to God. Many fail in coming up to this standard of excellence because they do things in secret where mortal eye cannot penetrate, that has a direct tendency to alienate them from the Almighty, and to grieve away the Spirit of God. Such persons cannot in their private closet use this prayer; they could not unless they had repented of their sins and repaired the wrong they may have committed, and determined to do better in the future than they had done in the past, and to establish a character before God that could be relied upon in the hour of trial, and that would fit them to associate with holy beings and with the Father himself when they shall have passed into the spirit world." Lorenzo Snow, Journal of Discourses 23:190-191
"Petitioning in prayer has taught me, again and again, that the vault of heaven with all its blessings is to be opened only by a combination lock. One tumbler falls when there is faith, a second when there is personal righteousness; the third and final tumbler falls only when what is sought is, in God's judgment -- not ours -- right for us. Sometimes we pound on the vault door for something we want very much and wonder why the door does not open. We would be very spoiled children if that vault door opened any more easily than it does. I can tell, looking back, that God truly loves me by inventorying the petitions He has refused to grant me. Our rejected petitions tell us much about ourselves but also much about our flawless Father." Neal A. Maxwell, Deposition of a Disciple, p.20
"Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks." Thomas S. Monson
Repentance
"Repentance is the key with which we can unlock the prison from inside. We hold that key within our hands, and agency is ours to use it." Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, May 1988
"Let us take a course to be saved today, and, when evening comes, review the acts of the day, repent of our sins, if we have any to repent of, and say our prayers; then we can lie down and sleep in peace until the morning, arise with gratitude to God, commence the labors of another day, and strive to live the whole day to God and nobody else." Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p.16
"Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is not that which is pleasing in the sight of God." Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith
"Just because we have taken one step down the wrong road is no reason why we have to take two." Richard L. Evans, cited in The Missionary's Little Quote Book by Dale Jeffrey
"Self-justification is the enemy to repentance. God's spirit continues with the honest in heart to strengthen, to help, and to save, but invariably the Spirit of God ceases to strive with the man who 'excuses' himself in his wrong doing. Practically all dishonesty owes its continued existence and growth to this inward distortion we call 'self-justification.' It is the first, the worst and most insidious and damaging. form of cheating - cheating ourselves." Spencer W. Kimball, BYU Speeches, February 25, 1964, p. 2
"They were very disturbed when their marriage was postponed to allow time for repentance. They had rationalized the sin nearly out of existence. They pressed for a date, the first possible one on which they could plan their temple marriage. They did not understand that forgiveness is not a thing of days or months or even years but is a matter of intensity of feeling and transformation of self." Spencer W. Kimball
"True repentance does not permit repetition." Spencer W. Kimball, in LDS Speaker's Sourcebook, page 379
"I have never seen happier people than those who have repented." Stephen L. Richards, CR, October 1940, p.15
"Repentance is a change of behavior which invites forgiveness." Theodore M. Burton, Ensign, May 1983
Sabbath Day
"Much of the sorrow and distress that is afflicting and will continue to afflict mankind is traceable to the fact that they have ignored[God's] admonition to keep the Sabbath day holy." George Albert Smith, CR, October 1935, p. 120
"If we were looking for some program to cure all of the problems that presently beset our world, we might well find it by properly observing the Sabbath day. The importance of the Sabbath is prefigured in the account of creation. In programming the seven creative periods, God set aside the seventh day as his Sabbath. And then in our interests he especially blessed and hallowed this one day out of each week, which he ordained to be our Sabbath day. And what a magnificent day it is when it is used as he intended." Sterling W. Sill, Conference Report, October 1969, p.16
"Sunday is the core of our civilization, dedicated to thought and reverence." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"I mention the Sabbath day. The Sabbath of the Lord is becoming the play day of the people. It is a day of golf and football on television, of buying and selling in our stores and markets. Are we moving to mainstream America as some observers believe? In this I fear we are. What a telling thing it is to see the parking lots of the markets filled on Sunday in communities that are predominately LDS.``Our strength for the future, our resolution to grow the Church across the world, will be weakened if we violate the will of the Lord in this important matter. He has so very clearly spoken anciently and again in modern revelation. We cannot disregard with impunity that which He has said." Gorden B. Hinckley,General Conference, Priesthood Session, October 1997
Sacrifice
"Yielding ourselves to the Lord always requires sacrifice, and often a sacrifice of our sins. How many favorite sins are we holding onto that alienate us from the Spirit and keep us from turning our lives over to the Lord? Things such as jealousy, or holding onto grudge, or being casual about the Sabbath day, or the wearing of the garment, or what we watch or read? Imagine the rippling impact on our lives and our families if every one of us determined at this moment to sacrifice something that is dulling our spiritual senses." Sheri Dew, BYU Womens Conference, 1999
"Some men are willing to die for their faith, but they are not willing to fully live for it." Ezra Taft Benson
"If you give anything for the building up of the Kingdom of God, give the best you have." Brigham Young, Discourse of Brigham Young, p. 445
"We talk about our trials and troubles here in this life: but suppose that you could see yourselves thousands and millions of years after you have proved faithful to your religion during the few short years in this time, and have obtained eternal salvation and a crown of glory in the presence of God; then look back upon your lives here, and see the losses, crosses, and disappointments, the sorrows ... you would be constrained to exclaim, 'But what of all that? Those things were but for a moment, and we are now here. We have been faithful during a few moments in our mortality, and now we enjoy eternal life and glory, with power to progress in all the boundless knowledge and through the countless stages of progression, enjoying the smiles and approbation of our Father and God, and of Jesus Christ our elder brother.'" Brigham Young, JD 7:275-276
"Willingly we give of our time and our means with which He may bless us to the establishment of His kingdom in the earth. This we know is our first duty and our great opportunity... In a statement published to the world during the last world war, the First Presidency of the Church declared: 'No act of ours or of the Church must interfere with this God-given mandate.'" Ezra Taft Benson, LDS General Conference, April 1942
"The cross to be taken up may be heavy, perhaps to be dragged because too burdensome to be borne. We are apt to assume that self-denial is the sole material of our cross; but this is true only as we regard self-denial in its broadest sense, comprising both positive and negative aspects. One man's cross may consist mostly in refraining from doings to which he is inclined, another's in doing what he would fain escape. One's besetting sin is evil indulgence; his neighbor's a lazy inattention to the activities required by the Gospel of Jesus Christ, coupled perchance with puritanical rigor in other observances. But the great question, striking home to every thoughtful soul, is that of the Master -- 'For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?' (Matt. 16:26). It is possible then for a man to lose his own soul. To deny is to reject the Lord's own doctrine. The safeguard against such incalculable loss is specifically indicated -- to follow the Savior; and this can mean only keeping His commandments, whatever the temporary suffering or worldly sacrifice may be." James E. Talmage, The Vitality of Mormonism, p. 353
"The Savior gave of Himself, gave His very life that we might live. To sacrifice that others might be blessed was His word, His work, His life. Sacrifice is the evidence of true love. Without sacrifice love is not manifest. Without sacrifice there is no real love, or kindness... We love no one unless we sacrifice for him. We can measure the degree of love that we possess for any man or cause, by the sacrifice we make for him or it." John A. Widtsoe, LDS General Conference, April 1943
Scriptures
"The Bible, when it is understood, is one of the simplest books in the world, for, as far as it is translated correctly, it is nothing but truth, and in truth there is no mystery save to the ignorant." Brigham Young, JD 14:136
"One of the great compliments paid the Savior was that he taught as one having authority. The missionary who knows scripture and can quote it speaks with the voice of authority...May I suggest that in our family night gatherings we make it a project to memorize one scripture a week pertinent to this work. At the conclusion of a year our children will have on their lips a fund of scripture which will remain with them throughout their lives." Gordon B. Hinckley, CR April 1959 p. 120
"True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel." Boyd K. Packer, LDS General Conference, October 1986
"True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior." Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, November 1986, p. 17
"Because we believe that scripture reading can help us receive revelation, we are encouraged to read the scriptures again and again. By this means, we obtain access to what our Heavenly Father would have us know and do in our personal lives today. That is one reason Latter-day Saints believe in daily scripture study. Similarly, what a scripture in the Book of Mormon meant to me when I first read it at age sixteen is not conclusive upon me as I read it at age sixty. With the benefit of my life's experiences and with my greater familiarity with revelation, I can learn things that were not available to me yesterday by reading the scriptures today." Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, January 1995
"More than at any time in our history we have need for greater spirituality. The way to develop greater spirituality is to feast on the words of Christ as revealed in the scriptures. One of the most significant happenings in recent Church history is the publication of the new editions of the standard works with the new footnotes and other helps. I think we can say without exaggeration that never before in any dispensation have the Saints been so abundantly blessed with the words of the Lord and His prophets. Now our challenge is to do as the Lord commanded: 'Study my word which hath gone forth among the children of men' (D&C 11:22)." Ezra Taft Benson, LDS General Conference, April 1984
"Success in righteousness, the power to avoid deception and resist temptation, guidance in our daily lives, healing of the soul - these are but a few of the promises the Lord has given to those who will come to His word. Does the Lord promise and not fulfill? Surely if He tells us that these things will come to us if we lay hold upon His word, then the blessings can be ours. And if we do not, then the blessings may be lost. However diligent we may be in other areas, certain blessings are to be found only in the scriptures, only in coming to the word of the Lord and holding fast to it as we make our way through the mists of darkness to the tree of life." Ezra Taft Benson, Ensign, May 1986
"Those who delve into the scriptural library ... find that to understand requires more than casual reading or perusal - there must be concentrated study. It is certain that one who studies the scriptures every day accomplishes far more than one who devotes considerable time one day and then lets days go by before continuing. Not only should we study each day, but there should be a regular time set aside when we can concentrate without interference. There is nothing more helpful than prayer to open our understanding of the scriptures. Through prayer we can attune our minds to seek the answers to our searchings...Many find that the best time to study is in the morning after a night's rest has cleared the mind of the many cares that interrupt thought. Others prefer to study in the quiet hours after the work and worries of the day are over and brushed aside, thus ending the day with a peace and tranquillity that comes by communion with the scriptures. Perhaps what is more important than the hour of the day is that a regular time be set aside for study. It would be ideal if an hour could be spent each day; but if that much cannot be had, a half hour on a regular basis would result in substantial accomplishment. A quarter of an hour is little time, but it is surprising how much enlightenment and knowledge can be acquired in a subject so meaningful. The important thing is to allow nothing else to ever interfere with our study." Howard W. Hunter, LDS General Conference, October 1979
"An effort must be put forth to learn the gospel, to understand it, to comprehend the relationship of its principles. The gospel must be studied, otherwise no test of its truth may sanely be applied to it. That study must be wide, for the gospel is so organized that in it is a place for every truth, of every name and nature. That study must be constantly continued, for the content of the gospel is illimitable." John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, pp. 16-17
"It is a paradox that men will gladly devote time every day for many years to learn a science or an art; yet will expect to win a knowledge of the gospel, which comprehends all sciences and arts, through perfunctory glances at books or occasional listening to sermons. The gospel should be studied more intensively than any school or college subject. They who pass opinion on the gospel without having given it intimate and careful study are not lovers of truth, and their opinions are worthless. To secure a testimony, then, study must accompany desire and prayer." John A. Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations, pp. 16-17
"...it is desirable that our children should learn to memorize important passages; such that will leave a strong impression upon their lives; scriptural passages that they will use as their guiding star; scriptural passages that will help to form convictions in their minds of right and wrong; scriptural passages that will bring conviction to their hearts" Joseph M. Tanner, LDS General Conference, April 1901
"In all of the history of mankind there has never been a time when we have had a greater opportunity to increase our knowledge of the law of the Lord...Surely there can be no excuse for us not to become the best informed generation of all time in our knowledge of the scriptures. Never before have we had opportunity such as we have today to become real gospel scholars." L. Tom Perry
"...we are saddened to learn as we travel about the stakes and missions of the Church that there are still many of the saints who are not reading and pondering the scriptures regularly and have little knowledge of the Lord's instructions to the children of men. Many have been baptized and received a testimony, and have 'gotten into this straight and narrow path,' yet have failed to take the further required step -- to 'press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end.' (2 Nephi 31:19,20). One cannot become a 'doer' of the word without first becoming a 'hearer.' And to become a 'hearer' is not simply to stand idly by and wait for chance bits of information, it is too seek out and study and pray and comprehend. Therefore, the Lord said, 'Whoso receiveth not my voice is not acquainted with my voice, and is not of me' (D&C 84:52)." Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign September 1986
"Any intelligent man may learn what he wants to learn. He may acquire knowledge in any field, though it requires much thought and effort. It takes more than a decade to get a high school diploma; it takes an additional four years for most people to get a college degree; it takes nearly a quarter-century to become a great physician. Why, oh, why do people think they can fathom the most complex spiritual depths without the necessary experimental and laboratory work accompanied by compliance with the laws that govern it? Absurd it is, but you will frequently find popular personalities, who seem never to have lived a single law of God, discoursing in interviews on religion. How ridiculous for such persons to attempt to outline for the world a way of life! And yet many a financier, politician, college professor, or owner of a gambling club thinks that because he has risen above all his fellowmen in his particular field he knows everything in every field. One cannot know God nor understand his works or plans unless he follows the laws which govern. The spiritual realm, which is just as absolute as is the physical, cannot be understood by the laws of the physical. You do not learn to make electric generators in a seminary. Neither do you learn certain truths about spiritual things in a physics laboratory. You must go to the spiritual laboratory, use the facilities available there, and comply with the governing rules. Then you may know of these truths just as surely, or more surely, than the scientist knows the metals, or the acids, or other elements. It matters little whether one is a plumber, or a banker, or a farmer, for these occupations are secondary; what is most important is what one knows and believes concerning his past and his future and what he does about it." Spencer W. Kimball, Absolute Truth, BYU 9/6/77; Ensign, Sept. 1978, p. 5
Service
"Emerson said that every great institution is but the lengthened shadow of a great person. The power is in us, in each of us - the power to do significant acts of service on our own initiative if we will become anxiously engaged." Gordon B. Hinckley, Faith, The Essence of True Religion, p.40
"One of the most important and rewarding ways in which we can serve our fellowmen is by living and sharing the principles of the gospel. We need to help those whom we seek to serve to know for themselves that God not only loves them but he is ever mindful of them and their needs. To teach our neighbors of the divinity of the gospel is a command reiterated by the Lord: 'It becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor' (D&C 88:81)." Spencer W. Kimball, New Era, March 1981, p. 48
Spirit
On one occasion, Brigham Young was visited by Joseph Smith (long after Joseph's death) and was given the following instructions:
"Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the small still voice; it will teach them what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord, they will go right. Be sure to tell the people to keep the Spirit of the Lord; and if they will, they will find themselves just as they were organized by our Father in Heaven before they came into the world. Our Father in Heaven organized the human family, but they are all disorganized and in great confusion."
Brigham Young, Journal History 23 Feb 1847
Wilford Woodruff wrote:
"On one occasion, I saw Brother Brigham and Brother Heber ride in [a] carriage ahead of the carriage in which I rode when I was on my way to attend conference; and they were dressed in the most priestly robes. When we arrived at our destination I asked Prest. Young if he would preach to us. He said, 'No, I have finished my testimony in the flesh I shall not talk to this people any more. But (said he) I have come to see you; I have come to watch over you, and to see what the people are doing. Then (said he) I want you to teach the people -- and I want you to follow this counsel yourself -- that they must labor and so live as to obtain the Holy Spirit, for without this you cannot build up the kingdom; without the spirit of God you are in danger of walking in the dark, and in danger of failing to accomplish your calling as apostles and as elders in the church and kingdom of God. And, said he, Brother Joseph taught me this principle.'"
Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses 21:318
Tithing
"One thing is required at the hands of this people, and to understand which there is no necessity for receiving a commandment every year, viz.: to pay their tithing. I do not suppose for a moment, that there is a person in this Church, who is unacquainted with the duty of paying tithing, neither is it necessary to have revelation every year upon the subject. There is the Law—pay one-tenth." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.174
"I like the term, because it is scriptural, and I would rather use it than any other. The Lord instituted tithing; it was practiced in the days of Abraham, and Enoch and Adam and his children did not forget their tithes and offerings. You can read for yourselves with regard to what the Lord requires. I want to say this much to those who profess to be Latter-day Saints—if we neglect our tithes and offerings we will receive the chastening hand of the Lord. We may just as well count on this first as last. If we neglect to pay our tithes and offerings we will neglect other things and this will grow upon us until the spirit of the Gospel is entirely gone from us, and we are in the dark, and know not whither we are going." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.174
"If the Lord requires one-tenth of my ability to be devoted to building temples, meetinghouses, schoolhouses, to schooling our children, gathering the poor from the nations of the earth, bringing home the aged, lame, halt and blind, and building houses for them to live in, that they may be comfortable when they reach Zion, and to sustaining the Priesthood, it is not my prerogative to question the authority of the Almighty in this, nor of his servants who have charge of it. If I am required to pay my tithing it is my duty to pay it. In the days of Joseph, when my circumstances were very, very straitened, I never had $500, $100, one dollar, fifty cents or twenty-five cents, but what, if it were wanted, it went as free as a cup of water from a well—Joseph was welcome to it. Was I tried in this? Yes, for many and many has been the time in my poverty, when if I had a dollar or fifty cents in my possession I have thought, "I can buy a pint or a half pint of molasses for my children to sop their bread in," but it was called for, and it went as free as the water of the river here would be to a thirsty person. And as for my time, from the day that I entered this Church until now, I have paid no attention to any business except that of building up this Kingdom. The question may be asked, "Do you not attend to your private affairs and business?" Yes, when I can, but I do not know that I have ever spent one minute in attending to business belonging to Brigham Young, when the business of the Church and Kingdom of God on the earth required his attention. Yet I would not say that this is any excuse for not strictly paying my tithing. I have paid a great deal of tithing, more perhaps than any other man, or any other ten men who were ever in the Church, and yet my tithing is not paid. But I pay tithing, and when the grain upon my farm is ripened, or the cattle upon it are matured, I say to my men, "Be sure and pay the tithing on whatever we have raised." But in some instances I have found that it was neglected." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.174 - p.175
"It is very true that the poor pay their tithing better than the rich do. If the rich would pay their tithing we should have plenty. The poor are faithful and prompt in paying their tithing, but the rich can hardly afford to pay theirs—they have too much. If he has only ten dollars he can pay one; if he has only one dollar he can pay ten cents; it does not hurt him at all. If he has a hundred dollars he can possibly pay ten. If he has a thousand dollars he looks over it a little and says, "I guess I will pay it; it ought to be paid anyhow;" and he manages to pay his ten dollars or his hundred dollars. But suppose a man is wealthy enough to pay ten thousand, he looks that over a good many times and says, "I guess I will wait until I get a little more, and then I will pay a good deal." And they wait and wait, like an old gentleman in the East; he waited and waited and waited to pay his tithing until he went out of the world, and this is the way with a great many. They wait and continue waiting, until, finally, the character comes along who is called Death, and he slips up to them and takes away their breath, then they are gone and cannot pay their tithing, they are too late, and so it goes." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.175
"The Saints abroad are required to pay their tithing." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.175
"When men are Saints, they will bring their thousands and lay them at the feet of the Bishops, Apostles, and Prophets, saying, 'Here is my money; it is now where it should be.' Discourses of Brigham Young, p.175
"When a man wishes to give anything, let him give the best he has got. The Lord has given to me all I possess; I have nothing in reality, not a single dime of it is mine. You may ask, 'Do you feel as you say?' Yes, I actually do. The coat I have on my back is not mine, and never was; the Lord put it in my possession honorably, and I wear it; but if he wishes for it, and all there is under it, he is welcome to the whole. I do not own a house, or a single farm of land, a horse, mule, carriage, or wagon, or wife, nor child, but what the Lord gave me, and if he wants them, he can take them at his pleasure, whether he speaks for them, or takes them without speaking." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.175
"When my Bishop came to value my property, he wanted to know what he should take my tithing in. I told him to take anything I had, for I did not set my heart upon any one thing; my horses, cows, hogs, or any other thing he might take; my heart is set upon the work of my God, upon the public good of his great Kingdom." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.176
"If we live our religion we will be willing to pay tithing." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.176
"Here is a character—a man—that God has created, organized, fashioned and made,—every part and particle of my system from the top of my head to the soles of my feet, has been produced by my Father in Heaven; and he requires one-tenth part of my brain, heart, nerve, muscle, sinew, flesh, bone, and of my whole system, for the building of temples, for the ministry, for sustaining missionaries and missionaries' families, for feeding the poor, the aged, the halt and blind, and for gathering them home from the nations and taking care of them after they are gathered. He has said, "My son, devote one-tenth of yourself to the good and wholesome work of taking care of your fellow-beings, preaching the Gospel, bringing people into the Kingdom; lay your plans to take care of those who cannot take care of themselves; direct the labors of those who are able to labor; and one-tenth part is all-sufficient if it is devoted properly, carefully and judiciously for the advancement of my Kingdom on the earth." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.176
"It is not for me to rise up and say that I can give to the Lord, for in reality I have nothing to give. I seem to have something. Why? Because the Lord has seen fit to bring me forth, and has blessed my efforts in gathering things which are desirable, and which are termed property." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.176
"We are not our own, we are bought with a price, we are the Lord's; our time, our talents, our gold and silver, our wheat and fine flour, our wine and our oil, our cattle, and all there is on this earth that we have in our possession is the Lord's, and he requires one-tenth of this for the building up of his Kingdom. Whether we have much or little, one-tenth should be paid in for tithing." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.176
"What object have I in saying to the Latter-day Saints, do this, that or the other? It is for my own benefit, it is for your benefit; it is for my own wealth and happiness, and for your wealth and happiness that we pay tithing and render obedience to any requirement of Heaven. We can not add anything to the Lord by doing these things. Tell about making sacrifices for the Kingdom of heaven. There is no man who ever made a sacrifice on this earth for the Kingdom of heaven, that I know anything about, except the Savior. He drank the bitter cup to the dregs, and tasted for every man and for every woman, and redeemed the earth and all things upon it. But he was God in the flesh, or he could not have endured it. "But we suffer, we sacrifice, we give something, we have preached so long." What for? "Why, for the Lord." I would not give the ashes of a rye straw for the man who feels that he is making sacrifice for God. We are doing this for our own happiness, welfare and exaltation, and for nobody else's. This is the fact, and what we do, we do for the salvation of the inhabitants of the earth, not for the salvation of the heavens, the angels, or the Gods." 16:114. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.176 - p.177
"We own nothing but the talents God has given to us to improve upon, to show him what we will do with them." 8:293. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.177
"We do not ask anybody to pay tithing, unless they are disposed to do so; but if you pretend to pay tithing, pay it like honest men." 8:202. Discourses of Brigham Young, p.177
"Pay your tithing, just because you like to, not unless you want to. They say we cut people off the Church for not paying tithing; we never have yet, but they ought to be. God does not fellowship them. The law of tithing is an eternal law. The Lord Almighty never had his Kingdom on the earth without the law of tithing being in the midst of his people, and he never will. It is an eternal law that God has instituted for the benefit of the human family, for their salvation and exaltation. This law is in the Priesthood, but we do not want any to observe it unless they are willing to do so." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.177
"It may be supposed by some that the tithing is used to sustain and feed the First Presidency and the Twelve; this is a false impression. I can say, without boasting, that there is not another man in this Kingdom has done more in dollars and cents to build it up that I have, and yet I have not done a farthing's worth of myself, for the means I have handled God has given me; it is not mine, and if it ever is mine it will be when I have overcome and gained my exaltation and received it from him who rightfully owns all things." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.177
"The little moiety that is now paid on tithing is used to bring the poor here, to find them houses to live in, bread to eat, and wood to burn. Now, suppose we had a little more of this surplus on hand, could we not help the brethren on their way to preach the Gospel to the nations? Yes, we could. Some of them will leave families that will, probably, be destitute, and if we had means on hand we could donate to help them, and to prevent them from running continually to the Bishops." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.177 - p.178
"The Lord requires one-tenth of that which he has given me; it is for me to pay the one-tenth of the increase of my flocks and of all that I have, and all the people should do the same. The question may arise, "What is to be done with the tithing?" It is for the building of temples to God; for the enlarging of the borders of Zion; sending Elders on missions to preach the Gospel and taking care of their families. By and by we shall have some temples to go into, and we will receive our blessings, the blessings of heaven, by obedience to the doctrine of tithing. We shall have temples built throughout these mountains, in the valleys of this Territory and the valleys of the next Territory, and finally, all through these mountain valleys. We expect to build temples in a great many valleys. We go to the Endowment House, and before going, we get a recommendation from our Bishop that we have paid our tithing." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.178
"In regard to this whining of the world about Brigham's handling the tithing, I can say that he has put in ten dollars where he has taken one out of the treasury, and he has paid more tithing than any other man in the Church. Everybody should pay their tenth. A poor woman ought to pay her tenth chicken, if she has to draw out ten times its value for her support. It is all the Lord's and we are only his stewards." Discourses of Brigham Young, p.178
Thoughts
"If you first gain power to check your words, you will then begin to have power to check your judgment, and at length actually gain power to check your thoughts and reflections." Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, p.267-68
"When we speak, let us speak good words; when we think, think good thoughts; and when we act, perform good acts; until it shall become the delight of every man and woman to do good instead of evil, and to teach righteousness by example, and precept rather than unrighteousness." Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 10:360
"I will know what you are if you tell me what you think about when you don't have to think" David O. McKay, True to the Faith, p. 170
"The thought in your mind at this moment is contributing, however infinitesimally, almost imperceptibly, to the shaping of your soul...Even passing and idle thoughts leave their impression." David O. McKay, quoted in The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 105.
"Your thoughts are the architects of your destiny." David O. McKay
"To remain clean and worthy, one must stay positively and conclusively away from the devil's territory, avoiding the least approach toward evil. Satan leaves his fingerprints." Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 232
"For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he." Proverbs 23:7
"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith. Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof." 3 Nephi 13:31-3
"A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts." Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 103
"How could a person possibly become what he is not thinking? Nor is any thought, when persistently entertained, too small to have its effect. The 'divinity that shapes our ends' is indeed ourselves." Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, pp. 104-105
Tolerance
"I have never altered my feelings towards individuals, as men or as women, whether they believe as I do or not. Can you live as neighbors with me? I can with you; and it is no particular concern of mine whether you believe with me or not." Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young p.279
Truth
"Freedom is based on truth, and no man is completely free as long as any part of his belief is based on error." N. Eldon Tanner, Ensign May 1978 p. 14
"The apparent conflict, and let me say it is only apparent, between religion and science, arises from two definite causes. An imperfect knowledge of science on the one hand and an imperfect knowledge of religion on the other. True science is knowledge classified and must be true, hence it is a part of true religion which embraces and accepts all truth. How I rejoice in the wonderful development of science and invention, and I hope I may ever have an open mind ready to receive all knowledge let it come from whence it will, for it has but one source; it comes from God who is the fountain of all truth." Rulon S. Wells, CR April 1929 p. 104
Urgency
"Joseph Smith visited me a great deal after his death and taught me many important principles. The last time I saw him was in heaven. In the night vision I saw him at the door of the temple in heaven. He came to me and spoke to me. He said he could not stop to talk with me because he was in a hurry. The next man I met was Father Smith; he could not talk with me because he was in a hurry. I met half a dozen brethren who had held high positions on earth, and none of them could stop to talk with me because they were in a hurry. I was much astonished. By and by I saw the Prophet again and I got the privilege of asking him a question. 'Now', said I, 'I want to know why you are in a hurry. I have been in a hurry all my life; but I expected my hurry would be over when I got into the kingdom of heaven, if I ever did.' Joseph said: 'I will tell you, Brother Woodruff. Every dispensation that has had the priesthood on the earth and has gone into the celestial kingdom has had a certain amount of work to do to prepare to go to the earth with the Savior when He goes to reign on the earth. Each dispensation has had ample time to do this work. We have not. We are the last dispensation; so much work has to be done that we need to be in a hurry to accomplish it.' Of course, that was satisfactory, but it was a new doctrine to me."
Wilford Woodruff, Millennial Star 67:637-638, October 19, 1896
Word of Wisdom
"Let me say to you men and women that in my judgment that simple Word of Wisdom will do more for the advancement of the ultimate destiny of a country than any other law that I know of." Stephen L. Richards, CR, October 1919, p. 195
"Stay away from alcohol. Graduation from high school is no reason for a beer bust. Better stay away and be thought a prude than go through life regretting it ever afterwards. Stay away from drugs. You cannot afford to touch them. They will utterly destroy you.; The euphoria will quickly pass, and the deadly, strangling clutches of this evil thing will embrace you in its power. You will become a slave, a debauched slave. You will lose control of your life and your actions. Do not experiment with them. Stay free of them!" Gorden B. Hinckley, General Conference, Priesthood Session, October 1997