Agency
“How we choose to feel and think and act every day is the way we get on the path, and stay on it, until we reach our eternal destination.” –Robert D. Hales: Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency
“Agency is the catalyst that leads us to express our inward spiritual desire in outward Christlike behavior.” –Robert D. Hales: Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency
“Our use of agency determines who we are and what we will be.” –Robert D. Hales: Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency
“Isn't it amazing how the way you choose to use your ability to make choices, whether big or small, physical or mental, conscious or subconscious, determines who you are and how you feel everyday? It's a great power and strength if you train your mind and actions correctly. I'm grateful that we all have this ability and choice as children of our Heavenly Father.” –Christian Esplin
Attitude
“What matters most in learning is attitude. The attitude of the teacher.” –David McCullough: Teach Them What You Love, May 9, 2009
Book of Mormon
“A man would get nearer to God by abiding by its (the Book of Mormon) precepts than by any other book.” (Joseph Smith) –Ezra Taft Benson: The Power of the Word, May 1986 Ensign p 79
“As tiny drops of water shape a landscape, so our minute-by-minute choice shape our character.” –James E. Faust: The Voice of the Spirit, Sep 1995 Liahon p 17
Character
“As tiny drops of water shape a landscape, so our minute-by-minute choice shape our character.” –James E. Faust: The Voice of the Spirit, Sep 1995 Liahon p 17
Charity
“Progressing along the straight and narrow is characterized by making the Lord’s work our work. Such work is grounded in charity.” –Elaine J. Jack: Walk with Me
“Charity helps us maintain our footing when all around us are skidding about.” –Elaine J. Jack: Walk with Me
“Charity never faileth.” 1 Corinthians 13:8
“True Charity is love in action.” –President Thomas S. Monson, General Relief Society Broadcast Oct 2010
“To pity distress is but human; to relieve it is godlike.” –Horace Mann
Church, The
“The aim of the Church is to help people help themselves (in Conference Report, Oct 1936, 3).” –Boyd K. Packer: Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord’s Own Way, Jan 2010 Liahona p 36-37
Courage
"Courage is when you're in pain, but you keep on living anyway." –Strange Familiar: Courage is… (Lyrics)
Decisions
“Decisions become easier when your will to please God outweighs your will to please the world.” ~Anso Coetzer
Degradation
“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” –T.S. Eliot
Discouragement
"When you feel like giving up, remember why you held on for so long in the first place."- Unknown
Eternal Perspective
“Focusing on our eternal purposes can ease our burdens and make our lives happy and more productive.” –Elaine J. Jack: Walk with Me
Exaltation
“Exaltation, after all, comes to us individually as we ‘work out our own salvation with fear and trembling.” –Philippians 2:12
“Failure to actively seek righteousness can cost us our exaltation as surely as choosing wickedness.” –Clyde J. Williams: A Shield Against Evil, Oct 1996 Liahona p 19
Example
“We never know who may be depending on us.” –Robert D. Hales: Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light
Explorer
“Every flyer who ventures across oceans to distant lands is a potential explorer; in his or her breast burns the same fire that urged adventurers of old to set forth in their sailing ships for foreign lands.” -Jean Batten 1979: Alone in the Sky
Faith
“Faith is the first principle of the gospel; it is a principle of progress.” –Carlos E. Asay: Opposition to the Work of God, Nov 1981 Ensign p 67
Freedom
“You are free to choose (2 Nephi 2:27) and are permitted to act (2 Nephi 10:23, Helaman 14:30) but you are not free to choose the consequences.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
Future
“Look ahead now and decide what you want to do with your lives.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
Grace
"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.” –2 Corinthians 12:9
Greatness
“Elder Marvin J. Ashton suggested that ‘greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved’ (General Conference, October 1984).” –Keith K. Hill: Sorrows and Joys: What We Can Learn from Lehi
“The best measure of true greatness is how Christlike we are.” –President Benson: Ensign May 1986 p 78
Growth
“…in the scriptures there are very few stories of individuals who lived in blissful happiness and experienced no opposition. We learn and grow by overcoming challenges with faith, persistence, and personal righteousness.” –Ann M. Dibb: Hold On
Happiness
“Prophet Joseph Smith ‘Happiness is the object and design of our existence.’” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
“Wickedness never was happiness.” –Alma 41:10
“There is a great purpose in our struggle in life. The principle of self-reliance or personal independence is fundamental to the happy life.” –Boyd K. Packer: Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord’s Own Way, Jan 2010 Liahona p 36-37
"Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves."
— Gordon B. Hinckley
“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this
world. Someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.” -Tom Bodett
“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” -Abraham Lincoln
Heartbreaks
"If someone breaks your heart, just punch them in the face. Oh sure, it seems obvious now, but you’d be amazed at how many people don’t think of it when it’s relevant. Seriously, punch them in the face and go get some ice cream."
--Chuck Klosterman
Holy Ghost
“We can feel the Holy Ghost as peace.” –One of the Elders from the MTC 12/3/10
“We who have the gift of the Holy Ghost must be true to its promptings so we can be a light to others.” –Rober D. Hales: Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light
“When we read the scriptures, we invite and make ourselves accessible to the communications of the Holy Ghost.” –W. Craig Zwick: Taking the Higher Road, Aug 2002 Ensign p 42-47
“We watch. We wait. We listen for that still small voice. When it speaks, wise men and women obey. Promptings of the Spirit are not to be postponed.” –Elder Monson: The Spirit Giveth Life, June 1997 Ensign, p 4
Hope
“He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked. What this means is that regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf: The Love of God
Hurt
“Men be careful not to make women cry, for God counts their tears.” –President Thomas S. Monson, General Conference Oct 2010
Idle
“No true Latter-day Saint will…voluntarily shift from himself the burden of his own support.” –Boyd K. Packer: Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord’s Own Way, Jan 2010 Liahona p 36-37
“The idler shall not eat the bread of the laborer (See D&C 42:42).” –Boyd K. Packer: Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord’s Own Way, Jan 2010 Liahona p 36-37
Judging
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” –Mother Teresa
“None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others. We make judgments concerning their actions or inactionts.” –President Thomas S. Monson, General Relief Society Broadcast Oct 2010
“Appearances can be so deceiving, such a poor measure of a person. Admonished the Savior, ‘Judge not according to the appearance.’” –President Thomas S. Monson, General Relief Society Broadcast Oct 2010
“I resolve to speak ill of no man whatever, not even in a matter of truth; but rather by some means excuse the faults I hear charged upon others, and upon proper occasions speak all the good I know of everybody.” -Benjamin Franklin
Knowledge
“Iron rusts from disuse, stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind….The natural desire of man is knowledge.” -Leonardo
Last Days
“Peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion.” –D&C 1:35
Laws
"It's quite unjust for anyone to be bound by a legal code which is too long for an ordinary person to read right through, or too difficult for him to understand." –Thomas More, Utopia
Life
“Life, like a marathon, requires a good start and a strong consistent effort all of the way to the finish.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
“There is a great purpose in our struggle in life. The principle of self-reliance or personal independence is fundamental to the happy life.” –Boyd K. Packer: Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord’s Own Way, Jan 2010 Liahona p 36-37
Light
“Though the world may at times appear dark, you have the light of the gospel, which will be as a beacon to guide your way.” –President Monson: May Youth Have Courage
“Each of us brings a light to the earth, the light of Christ.” –Robert D. Hales: Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light
“When light is present, darkness is vanquished and must depart.” –Robert D. Hales: Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light
“Moment by moment, breath by breath, our lives are granted to us and are renewed. So it is with spiritual light. It must be renewed in us on a regular basis. We must generate it day by day, thought by thought, and with daily righteous action if we are to keep the darkness of the adversary away.” –Rober D. Hales: Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light
“How dangerous is a fallen lighthouse! How devastating is a lighthouse whose light has failed!” –Rober D. Hales: Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light
“We who have the gift of the Holy Ghost must be true to its promptings so we can be a light to others.” –Rober D. Hales: Out of the Darkness into His Marvelous Light
Loneliness
“You may abandon God, but He will not abandon you.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
Love
“He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked. What this means is that regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.” –Dieter F. Uchtdorf: The Love of God
“If you judge people, you have no time to love them.” –Mother Teresa
“True love can alter human lives and change human nature.” –President Monson: May Youth Have Courage
"Love is like a rose.just dont pick it....it has thorns, and you'll get stuck! " - hahahahah oh my wonderful dad:)) [Melissa Coleman]
“The One Who Makes You Cry Isn't Worth Your Tears. the One Who Is Worth Your Tears Would Never Make You Cry” –Anonymous
Luck
"The common man uses the word luck to defend his normality. Luck doesn?t exist. It is merely the prepared man ready for future opportunity" –Mark William’s Facebook Status (I couldn’t find the source)
Parties
"High School Party! You guys got Sprite? You don't I think I'll just skip out tonight Cuz I'll need way more variety Cuz I prefer sobriety To function in society And maintain my propriety I'm not a fan of drinking beer Now do I make myself clear That such drinks aren't welcome here?"- Patrick, Rebel Mormon
Parenting
“If I am failing as a father, help me first, and my children second. Do not be too quick to take over from me the job of raising my children. Do not be too quick to counsel them and solve all of the problems. Get me involved. It is my ministry.” –Boyd K. Packer: Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord’s Own Way, Jan 2010 Liahona p 36-37
Peace
“Elder Marvin J Ashton….’When sorrow, tragedy, and heartbreaks occur in our lives, wouldn’t it be comforting if when the whisperings of God says ‘Do you know why this has happened to you?’ We could have the peace of mind to answer ‘No, but you do.’” –Keith K. Hill: Sorrows and Joys: What We Can Learn from Lehi
Perfection
“The Prophet Joseph Smith once said: ‘God will feel after you, and He will take hold and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God.” –Keith K. Hill: Sorrows and Joys: What We Can Learn from Lehi
Politics
“Politics are amoral, that is without a basis in moral certitude. Also, the world itself is without morals because people are inherently evil. The state, therefore, must be amoral, even immoral, in order to provide for the good and protection of its citizens. If the state did not act in such a manner, then its citizens would be taken advantage of by other states that did. Furthermore, the king must do what is necessary for the retention of his power because retention of power is for the good of his people.” –Cardinal Richelieu
Preparation
“Preparation is vitally important in the Church so you can do your part when called upon and so the Lord can use you when he needs you.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
"To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour."
-Winston S. Churchill
Pray
“President Gordon B. Hinckely has warned us: ‘You must find a place to commune with the Lord and feel His Spirit. This must happen in our lives not occasionally but constantly. The need is so great. We can be so much more effective. In the work of our lives, we do not take enough time to ponder and meditate and go to the Lord. We need the Lord’s help if we are to do His work.” –W. Craig Zwick: Taking the Higher Road, Aug 2002 Ensign p 42-47
“He [The Lord] will always hear your prayers and will invariably answer them. However, His answers will seldom come while you are on your knees praying, even when you may plead for an immediate response. Rather, He will prompt you in quiet moments when the Spirit can most effectively tough your mind and heart.” –Richard G. Scott: Using the Supernal Gift of Prayer, May 2007 Ensign p 9
Pride
“Relying only on your own abilities can lead to the sin of pride.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
“Rid your heart of pride, read the Book of Mormon everyday.” –Elaine J. Jack: Walk with Me
Procrastination
“Putting off to tomorrow is to fall behind, step backward, and open the door to the subtle influences of satan. ‘There is no such thing as standing still in the eternal work of our God’ (George Q. Cannon, Millenial Star, 23 Feb. 1899, p 117).” –Elaine J. Jack: Walk with Me
“Failure to actively seek righteousness can cost us our exaltation as surely as choosing wickedness.” –Clyde J. Williams: A Shield Against Evil, Oct 1996 Liahona p 19
“We watch. We wait. We listen for that still small voice. When it speaks, wise men and women obey. Promptings of the Spirit are not to be postponed.” –Elder Monson: The Spirit Giveth Life, June 1997 Ensign, p 4
Prophets
“Prophets’ words warn, teach, and encourage truth, whether they’re spoken in 600 BC or 2009.” –Ann M. Dibb: Hold On
Responsibility
“If you do not succeed in life, do not blame your parents, do not blame the white man, I want you to blame yourself.” -Lean on Me (the movie)
satan
“It is not a good practice to become intrigued by satan and his mysteries.” –James E. Faust: The Forces That will Save Us, Jan 1977 Liahona p 2-7
“Shakespeare wrote, “The prince of darkness is a gentleman.” –James E. Faust: The Forces That will Save Us, Jan 1977 Liahona p 2-7
“There is no crime he would not commit, no debauchery he would not set up, no plague he would not send, no heart he would not break, no life he would not take, no sould he would not destroy.” –James E. Faust: The Forces That will Save Us, Jan 1977 Liahona p 2-7
“The nearer a person approaches the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes.” –Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball (1945) p 132
“Four categories of enticements that satan uses: gain, power of flesh, popularity, and seeking the lusts of the flesh and things of the world (2 Nephi 22:23).” –James E. Faust: The Voice of the Spirit, Sep 1995 Liahona p 17
Scripture Reading
“A casual, infrequent exposure to the scriptures will generally not open the door to the whisperings of the Spirit or provide insights into the Savior’s life and character.” –Merrill J. Bateman: Coming unto Christ by Searching the Scriptures
“Rid your heart of pride, read the Book of Mormon everyday.” –Elaine J. Jack: Walk with Me
“There are those who have seemed to forget that the most powerful weapons the Lord has given us against all that is evil are His own declarations, the plain simple doctrines of salvation as found in the scriptures (Pres Harold B. Lee, Regional Representative’s Seminar, 1 Oct 1970, p 6).” –Ezra Taft Benson: The Power of the Word, May 1986 Ensign p 79
“Each of us, at least some time in our lives, must discover the scriptures, for ourselves – and not just discover them once, but rediscover them again and again….’Access to these things means responsibility for them. We must study the scriptures according to the Lord’s commandment (see 3 Nephi 23:1-5); and we must let them govern our lives’ (President Kimball, Ensign Sept 1976 p 4-5).” –Ezra Taft Benson: The Power of the Word, May 1986 Ensign p 79
“You must help the Saints see that studying and searching the scriptures is not a burden laid upon them by the Lord, but a marvelous blessing and opportunity.” –Ezra Taft Benson: The Power of the Word, May 1986 Ensign p 79
“When we read the scriptures, we invite and make ourselves accessible to the communications of the Holy Ghost.” –W. Craig Zwick: Taking the Higher Road, Aug 2002 Ensign p 42-47
“Now I need not rehearse the matter; what I have said may suffice. Behold, the scriptures are before you; if ye will wrest them it shall be to your own destruction.” –Alma 13:20k
Selfishness
“Ignoring the needs of others is a serious sin.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
"Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves."
— Gordon B. Hinckleyet
Service
“When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” Mosiah 2:17
“If I am failing as a father, help me first, and my children second. Do not be too quick to take over from me the job of raising my children. Do not be too quick to counsel them and solve all of the problems. Get me involved. It is my ministry.” –Boyd K. Packer: Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord’s Own Way, Jan 2010 Liahona p 36-37
“To pity distress is but human; to relieve it is godlike.” –Horace Mann
"Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls. -Alma 37:34
Spirituality
“Developing spirituality is critical to our eternal progress.” –Elaine J. Jack: Walk with Me
Stability
“Stability itself is nothing but a more languid motion.” -Montaigne
Strait and Narrow Path
“How we choose to feel and think and act every day is the way we get on the path, and stay on it, until we reach our eternal destination.” –Robert D. Hales: Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency
Strength
“Interestingly, it is the very things that try to separate us from God that often draw us closer to Him.” –Romans 8:35
“Do not depend on your own strength alone. You have never done all you can to finish a task until you have sought help from the Lord, loved ones, Church leaders, and friends.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
“There are those who have seemed to forget that the most powerful weapons the Lord has given us against all that is evil are His own declarations, the plain simple doctrines of salvation as found in the scriptures (Pres Harold B. Lee, Regional Representative’s Seminar, 1 Oct 1970, p 6).” –Ezra Taft Benson: The Power of the Word, May 1986 Ensign p 79
“President Brigham Young said: ‘Every time you kick ‘Mormonism’ you kick it upstairs; you never kick it downstairs. The Lord Almighty so orders it.’” –Carlos E. Asay: Opposition to the Work of God, Nov 1981 Ensign p 67
Success
“Success results when preparation meets opportunity in your lives.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
Teaching
“What matters most in learning is attitude. The attitude of the teacher.” –David McCullough: Teach Them What You Love, May 9, 2009
“To teach the gospel is to share your love of the gospel.” –David McConkie: Gospel Learning and Teaching, General Conferece Oct 2010
“A teacher’s attitude is not taught; it is caught.” –David McCullough: Teach Them What You Love, May 9, 2009
Teamwork
Trials
“He (God) will not ask more than you can do, but may ask right up to your limits so you can prove yourself.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
“The nearer a person approaches the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes.” –Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball (1945) p 132
“There is a great purpose in our struggle in life. The principle of self-reliance or personal independence is fundamental to the happy life.” –Boyd K. Packer: Solving Emotional Problems in the Lord’s Own Way, Jan 2010 Liahona p 36-37
Trust
“Keep close to the Lord and trust in Him during the easier times, just as you do in your uphill struggles.” –Joseph B. Wirthlin: Running Your Marathon
Wisdom
“Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?” –T.S. Eliot
“We watch. We wait. We listen for that still small voice. When it speaks, wise men and women obey. Promptings of the Spirit are not to be postponed.” –Elder Monson: The Spirit Giveth Life, June 1997 Ensign, p 4
Word, God’s
“And whoso treasureth up my word shall not be deceived.” –JS-M 1:37
“The words I (Christ) speak unto you, they are the spirit, and they are life.” –John 6:63
Youth
“Some years ago, another first Presidency made this statement ‘…How glorious and near to the angles is youth that is clean; this youth has joy unspeakable here and eternal happiness hereafter. Sexual purity is youth’s most precious possession; it is the foundation of all righteousness.’” –President Monson: May Youth Have Courage
