Quotes

"May you constantly nourish your

 testimonies of the gospel that they will be

a protection to you

 against the buffetings of the adversary."

- President Thomas S. Monson

"Many prayers are spoken while we are on our knees. The Savior knelt as He prayed to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:41). But silent prayers of the heart also reach to heaven. We sing, 'Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, Uttered or unexpressed' (Hymn no. 145). Sincere prayers come from the heart. Indeed, sincerity requires that we draw from the earnest feelings of our hearts when we pray rather than using vain repetitions or pretentious affectations such as those condemned by the Savior in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican (see Luke 18:10-14). Our prayers then truly become the 'song of the heart' and 'a prayer' (D&C 25:12), not only reaching God but touching the hearts of others as well."

- President James E. Faust

"One of the sneaky ploys of the adversary is to have us believe that unquestioning obedience to the principles and commandments of God is blind obedience. His goal is to have us believe that we should be following our own worldly ways and selfish ambitions. This he does by persuading us that 'blindly' following the prophets and obeying the commandments is not thinking for ourselves. He teaches that it is not intelligent to do something just because we are told to do so by a living prophet or by prophets who speak to us from the scriptures.

Our unquestioning obedience to the Lord's commandments is not blind obedience. President Boyd K. Packer in the April conference of 1983 taught us about this: 'Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God. . . . We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see'.”

- Elder R. Conrad Schultz

"Spiritual submissiveness is not accomplished in an instant, but by the incremental improvements and by the successive use of stepping-stones. Stepping-stones are meant to be taken one at a time anyway. Eventually our wills can be 'swallowed up in the will of the Father' as we are 'willing to submit . . . even as a child doth submit to his father' (Mosiah 15:7; 3:19). Otherwise, though striving, we will continue to feel the world's prop wash and be partially diverted."

- Elder Neal A. Maxwell

As a young boy, life on our small family farm was heaven. Often in our humble home there were not as many shingles as we had roof. The rest-room facility was connected by a long path that required some advance planning, and sometimes my worn shirt had more buttonholes than buttons. The Saturday night bath in front of a warm stove, where your body experienced both extremes in temperature, was a luxury.

Then something changed. I started school and began to notice possessions I had not known. Some had nice clothing, beautiful homes with all the modern conveniences, and newer automobiles. Many my age were not required to arise early and do chores before going to school, only to go home at night and do them all over again. While they were popular and confident, I became backward and shy. Regretfully, I began to forget how happy I had been with my basket of blessings as I indulged in comparing their seemingly endless bushels to mine. Thus, the blinders to humility began distorting reality, giving way to ingratitude. The expectation that more is deserved can cause our plate of plenty to appear empty. Gratitude has many faces and takes on many forms. . . Gratitude begins with attitude. While to some every apple shines, to others the remaining blemishes after the polishing process are all that's visible. We must use caution not to be drawn into the growing populace of ungrateful people who have become calloused to blessings as they bicker in misery.

Joy and happiness are born of gratitude. Recently Sister Watts and I spent three years in another part of the world working with a very kind and gracious people. If worldly possessions equated to happiness, the majority of these Saints would be unhappy. Quite the contrary, gratitude abounds, resulting in a contagious display of rejoicing. It is evident that even though they live in a challenging environment with few advantages, they are a delightful people. A cheerfulness is generated by their gratitude for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the blessings derived from living the principles taught. One faithful district president expressed gratitude to have a bicycle for transportation to perform his calling. It seemed the more he pedaled, the happier he became. Perhaps there is a lesson here: if we are feeling ungrateful, we need to pedal a little faster. The depth and the willingness with which we serve is a direct reflection of our gratitude. . . President James E. Faust has said, 'A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness'.

- Elder Gordon T. Watts

"Do you, with me, remember the story from childhood days of that persuasive musician, the Pied Piper of Hamelin? 

You will recall that he entered Hamelin and offered, for a specified sum of money, to rid the town of the vermin with which it was plagued.  When the contract was agreed upon, he played his pipe and the rats came swarming from the buildings and followed him to the river, where they drowned.  When the town leaders refused to pay him for his services, he returned to play his pipe and led the precious children away from the safety of their families and their homes, never to return.

Are there Pied Pipers even today?  Are they playing alluring music to lead, to their own destruction, those who listen and follow?  These pipers pipe the tunes of pride and pleasure, of selfishness and greed and leave in their wake confused minds, troubled hearts, empty lives, and destroyed dreams...Brethren of the priesthood, the world is in need of your help.  There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.  The harvest truly is great.  Let there be no mistake about it; the missionary opportunity of a lifetime is yours.  The blessings of eternity await you.  Yours is the privilege to be not spectators but participants on the stage of priesthood service."

- President Thomas S. Monson

"Right now, this very moment, is part of our eternal progression towards returning with our families to the presence of our Father in Heaven...That understanding helps us to make wise decisions in the many choices of our daily lives.  Seeing life from an eternal perspective helps us focus our limited mortal energies on the things that matter most.  We can avoid wasting our lives laying 'up for ourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt' (Matt. 6:19). We can lay up treasures in heaven and not trade our eternal spiritual birthright.

This is the day of our mortal probation.  We might compare our eternal journey to a race of three laps around the track.  We have completed the first lap successfully and have made wonderful progress.  We have started on the second lap.  Can you imagine a world-class runner stopping along the track at this point to pick flowers or chase a rabbit that crossed his path? 

Yet this is what we are doing when we occupy our time with worldly pursuits that do not move us closer to the third lap toward eternal life, the greatest of all the gifts of God. (See D&C 14:7.)"

- Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin

"If you really want to be like the Lord, more than anything or anyone else, you will remember that your adoration of Jesus is best shown by your emulation of Him.  Then you will not allow any other love to become more important than love for your companion, your family, and your Creator. You will govern yourself not by someone else's set of rules but by revealed principles of truth.

Your responsibility to endure is uniquely yours.  But you are never alone.  I testify that the lifting power of the Lord can be yours if you will 'come unto Christ' and 'be perfected in him.'  You will 'deny yourselves of all ungodliness.'  And you will 'love God with all your might, mind and strength' (Moroni 10:32)."

- Elder Russell M. Nelson

"We can turn from the paths which would lead us down and, with a song in our hearts, follow a star and walk toward the light. We can quicken our step, bolster our courage, and bask in the sunlight of truth. We can hear more clearly the laughter of little children.

We can dry the tear of the weeping. We can comfort the dying by sharing the promise of eternal life. If we lift one weary hand which hangs down, if we bring peace to one struggling soul, if we give as did the Master, we can--by showing the way--become a guiding star for some lost mariner.

Because life is fragile and death inevitable, we must make the most of each day. . . My brothers and sisters, may we resolve from this day forward to fill our hearts with love. May we go the extra mile to include in our lives any who are lonely or downhearted or who are suffering in any way. May we 'cheer up the sad and make someone feel glad' (Hymns no. 223). May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith' (2 Tim. 4:7)."

- Elder Boyd K. Packer

"We can turn from the paths which would lead us down and, with a song in our hearts, follow a star and walk toward the light. We can quicken our step, bolster our courage, and bask in the sunlight of truth. We can hear more clearly the laughter of little children. We can dry the tear of the weeping. We can comfort the dying by sharing the promise of eternal life. If we lift one weary hand which hangs down, if we bring peace to one struggling soul, if we give as did the Master, we can--by showing the way--become a guiding star for some lost mariner.

Because life is fragile and death inevitable, we must make the most of each day. . . My brothers and sisters, may we resolve from this day forward to fill our hearts with love. May we go the extra mile to include in our lives any who are lonely or downhearted or who are suffering in any way. May we 'cheer up the sad and make someone feel glad' (Hymns no. 223). May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may  have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith' (2 Tim. 4:7)."

- President Thomas S. Monson

"We cannot force God’s children to choose the way to happiness.

God cannot do that because of the agency He has given us."

- President Henry B. Eyring