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Criticism And Pessimism Destroy Families, Undermine Institutions Of All Kinds, Defeat Nearly Everyone, And Spread A Shroud Of Gloom Over Entire Nations.

-Gordon B. Hinckley

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Criticism And Pessimism Destroy

Gordon B. Hinckley

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Criticism And Pessimism Destroy Families, Undermine Institutions Of All Kinds, Defeat Nearly Everyone, And Spread A Shroud Of Gloom Over Entire Nations.

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Teach Children Tolerance. No One Need Surrender His Or Her Own Beliefs While Extending Tolerance To Those With Other Beliefs.

It Is Not Wise, Or Even Possible, To Divorce Private Behavior From Public Leadership.... By Its Very Nature, True Leadership Carries With It The Burden Of Being An Example.

My Plea Is That As We Continue Our Search For Truth, Particularly We Of The Church, That We Look For Strength And Goodness Rather Than Weakness And Failings In Those Who Did So Great A Work In Their Time. We Recognize That Our Forefathers Were Human. They Doubtless Made Mistakes. Some Of Them Acknowledged Making Mistakes. But The Mistakes Were Minor When Compared With The Marvelous Work Which They Accomplished.

The Things Of God Are Understood By The Spirit Of God. That Spirit Is Real. To Those Who Have Experienced Its Workings, The Knowledge So Gained Is As Real As That Received Through The Operation Of The Five Senses. I Testify Of This. . . . I Urge You To Continue Throughout Your Lives To Cultivate A Heart In Tune With The Spirit. If You Do So, Your Lives Will Be Enriched. You Will Feel A Kinship With God Our Eternal Father. You Will Taste The Sweetness Of Joy That Can Be Had In No Other Way.

Carry On. Things Will Work Out. If You Keep Trying And Praying And Working, Things Will Work Out. They Always Do. If You Want To Die At An Early Age, Dwell On The Negative. Accentuate The Positive, And You’ll Be Around For A While.

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.

Let Us Take A Little Time To Meditate, To Think Of What We Can Do To Improve Our Lives And To Become Better Examples Of What A Latter-day Saint Should Be.

We Can Begin Ever So Modestly. We Can Begin With A One Week's Food Supply And Gradually Build It To A Month, And Then To Three Months. I Am Speaking Now Of Food To Cover Basic Needs. . .i Fear That So Many Feel That A Long-term Food Supply Is So Far Beyond Their Reach That They Make No Effort At All. . .begin In A Small Way, ... And Gradually Build Toward A Reasonable Objective.

In Matters Of Honesty, There Are No Shortcuts; No Little White Lies, Or Big Black Lies, Only The Simple, Honest Truth Spoken In Total Candor... Being True Is Different Than Being Honest.

Who Can Calculate The Wounds Inflicted, Their Depth And Pain, By Harsh And Mean Words Spoken In Anger? How Pitiful A Sight Is A Man Who Is Strong In Many Ways But Who Loses All Control Of Himself When Some Little Thing, Usually Of No Significant Consequence, Disturbs His Equanimity.

I Am Totally In The Hands Of The Lord.

You Can't Plow A Field Simply By Turning It Over In Your Mind.

Spare Yourselves From The Indulgence Of Self-pity. It Is Always Self-defeating. Subdue The Negative And Emphasize The Positive.

Jesus Said, 'except A Man Be Born Of Water And Of The Spirit, He Cannot Enter Into The Kingdom Of God.' There Are No Exceptions. Baptism Is A Necessary Ordinance.

How Sweet Is The Assurance, How Comforting Is The Peace That Come From The Knowledge That If We Marry Right And Live Right, Our Relationship Will Continue, Notwithstanding The Certainty Of Death And The Passage Of Time. Men May Write Love Songs And Sing Them. They May Yearn And Hope And Dream. But All Of This Will Be Only A Romantic Longing Unless There Is An Exercise Of Authority That Transcends The Powers Of Time And Death.

Avoid Alcohol As You Would A Loathsome Disease. Beer Will Do To You What Hard Liquor Will Do. Each Contains Alcohol In Varying Amounts.

... The Whole Design Of The Gospel Is To Lead Us Onward And Upward To Greater Achievement, Even, Eventually, To Godhood. This Great Possibility Was Enunciated By The Prophet Joseph Smith In The King Follet Sermon. It Is This Grand And Incomparable Concept: As God Now Is, Man May Become!

Onward And Upward

The Lord Would Want You To Be Successful. He Would. You Are His Sons And His Daughters. He Has The Same Kind Of Love And Ambition For You That Your Earthly Parents Have. They Want You To Do Well And You Can Do It.

I Am The Last Leaf On The Tree, And The Wind Is Blowing.

Be Grateful, Be Smart, Be Clean, Be True, Be Humble, Be Prayerful.

I Have Now Been An Officer In This Church For A Very Long Time. I Am An Old Man Who Cannot Deny The Calendar. I Have Lived Long Enough And Served In Enough Different Capacities To Have Removed From My Mind, If Such Were Necessary, Any Doubt Of The Divinity Of This, The Work Of God. We Respect Those Of Other Churches. We Desire Their Friendship And Hope To Render Meaningful Service With Them. We Know They All Do Good, But We Unabashedly State—and This Frequently Brings Criticism Upon Us—that This Is The True And Living Church Of Our Father In Heaven And His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ.

Without Hard Work, Nothing Grows But Weeds.

You Have As Great An Opportunity For Satisfaction In The Performance Of Your Duty As I Do In Mine. The Progress Of This Work Will Be Determined By Our Joint Efforts. Whatever Your Calling, It Is As Fraught With The Same Kind Of Opportunity To Accomplish Good As Is Mine. What Is Really Important Is That This Is The Work Of The Master. Our Work Is To Go About Doing Good As Did He.

I Would Like To Suggest To You That You 'grab Life By The Horns' And Do Not Let Life Grab You By The Horns. You Take Control Of Your Lives. Do Not Let Life Control You. Take Charge. Rise To The Divinity That Is Within You.

Control Of Your Life

Gratitude Creates The Most Wonderful Feeling. It Can Resolve Disputes. It Can Strengthen Friendships. And It Makes Us Better Men And Women.

The Best Place To Have Some Food Set Aside Is Within Our Homes, Together With A Little Money In Savings. The Best Welfare Program Is Our Own Welfare Program. Five Or Six Cans Of Wheat In The Home Are Better Than A Bushel In The Welfare Granary. ... We Can Begin With A One Week's Food Supply And Gradually Build It To A Month, And Then To Three Months. I Am Speaking Now Of Food To Cover Basic Needs.

Welfare Programs

Let Us All Try To Stand A Little Taller, Rise A Little Higher, Be A Little Better. Make The Extra Effort. You Will Be Happier.

In Our Old Age My Beloved Companion Said To Me Quietly One Evening, "you Have Always Given Me Wings To Fly, And I Have Loved You For It.

Missionary Work Has Never Been Easy, And Yet The Joyful Rewards Cannot Be Equaled By Any Other Experience.

I Hope We Will Never Again See Such A Depression. But I Am Troubled By The Huge Consumer Installment Debt Which Hangs Over The People Of The Nation, Including Our Own People.

God Is The Designer Of The Family.

Let Our Voices Be Heard. I Hope They Will Not Be Shrill Voices, But, I Hope We Shall Speak With Such Conviction That Those To Whom We Speak Shall Know Of The Strength Of Our Feeling And The Sincerity Of Our Efforts.

Forget Yourself And Get To Work.

We Have Never Found, And I Think We Never Shall Find, An Adequate Substitute For The Situation In Which Two Wholesome Young Men Meet With A Family, Reason With Them, Teach Them, Testify To Them, And Pray With Them. We Shall Always Need Missionaries.

No System Can Long Command The Loyalties Of Men And Women Which Does Not Expect Of Them Certain Measures Of Discipline, And Particularly Self-discipline. The Cost In Comfort May Be Great. The Sacrifice May Be Real. But This Very Demanding Reality Is The Substance Of Which Comes Character And Strength And Nobility. Permissiveness Never Produced Greatness. Integrity, Loyalty, And Strength Are Virtues Whose Sinews Are Developed Through The Struggles That Go On Within As We Practice Self-discipline Under The Demands Of Divinely Spoken Truth.

Christmas Means 'giving,' And The Gift Without The Giver Is Bare. Give Of Yourselves; Give Of Your Substance; Give Of Your Heart And Mind. "christmas Means 'compassion And Love' And, Most Of All 'forgiveness' How Poor Indeed Would Be Our Lives Without The Influence Of His Teachings And His Matchless Example. "he Whose Birth We Commemorate This Season Is More Than The Symbol Of A Holiday. He Is The Son Of God, The Redeemer Of Mankind, The King Of Kings, The Prince Of Peace.

That Which Comes Easily Departs Easily. That Which Comes Of Struggle Remains.

There Is Room For Improvement In Every Life. Regardless Of Our Occupations, Regardless Of Our Circumstances, We Can Improve Ourselves And While So Doing Have An Effect On The Lives Of Those About Us.

Those Who Move Forward "with A" Happy Spirit Will Find That Things Alwas Work Out.

The True Gospel Of Jesus Christ Never Led To Bigotry. It Never Led To Self-righteousn Ess. It Never Led To Arrogance. The True Gospel Of Jesus Christ Leads To Brotherhood, To Friendship, To Appreciation Of Others, To Respect And Kindness And Love

While There May Be Thorns And Disappointments, While There May Be Heartache, Even Heartbreak, There Can Be Peace And Comfort And Strength From The Lord For Those Who Follow Him.

Sloppy Language And Sloppy Ways Go Together. Those Who Are Truly Educated Have Learned More Than The Sciences, The Humanities, Law, Engineering, And The Arts. They Carry With Them A Certain Polish That Marks Them As Loving The Better Qualities Of Life, A Culture That Adds Luster To The Mundane World Of Which They Are Apart, A Patina That Puts A Quiet Glow On What Otherwise Might Be Base Metal.

I Think The World Would Be Much Poorer Without Religion, Speaking Generally.

God Has Not Given Us The Spirit Of Fear. That Comes From The Adversary.

You Can't Build A Great Building On A Weak Foundation. You Must Have A Solid Foundation If You're Going To Have A Strong Superstructure.

Our Burden In Going Forward Is Tremendous. But Our Opportunity Is Glorious.

Love Can Make The Difference-love Generously Given In Childhood And Reaching Through The Awkward Years Of Youth . . . And Encouragement That Is Quick To Compliment And Slow To Criticize.

In My Ninety-plus Years, I Have Learned A Secret. I Have Learned That When Good Men And Good Women Face Challenges With Optimism, Things Will Always Work Out! Truly, Things Always Work Out! Despite How Difficult Circumstances May Look At The Moment, Those Who Have Faith And Move Forward With A Happy Spirit Will Find That Things Always Work Out.

But Even Considering These, I Have Great Confidence In Our Young People As A Whole. I Regard You As The Finest Generation In The History Of The Church. I Compliment You, And I Have In My Heart A Great Feeling Of Love And Respect And Appreciation For You.

I Hope You Will Simply Do What You Can Do In The Best Way You Know. If You Do So, You Will Witness Miracles Come To Pass.

Love For The Lord, Love For His Servants The Missionaries. Missionary Work Is A Work Of Love And Trust, And It Has To Be Done On That Basis.

There Are Some Men Who, In A Spirit Of Arrogance, Think They Are Superior To Women. They Do Not Seem To Realize That They Would Not Exist But For The Mother Who Gave Them Birth. When They Assert Their Superiority They Demean Her.

We Love Them [people Who Have Same-sex Attractions] As Sons And Daughters Of God. They May Have Certain Inclinations Which Are Powerful And Which May Be Difficult To Control. If They Do Not Act Upon These Inclinations, Then They Can Go Forward As Do All Other Members Of The Church.

The Time Has Come For Us To Stand A Little Taller, To Lift Our Eyes And Stretch Our Minds To A Greater Comprehension And Understanding Of The Grand Millennial Mission Of This, The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints.

There Is No End To The Good We Can Do, To The Influence We Can Have With Others. Let Us Not Dwell On The Critical Or The Negative. Let Us Pray For Strength; Let Us Pray For Capacity And Desire To Assist Others. Let Us Radiate The Light Of The Gospel At All Times And All Places, That The Spirit Of The Redeemer May Radiate From Us.

Father Forgive Us, For We Do Not What We Know.

We Are Creatures Of Our Thinking. We Can Talk Ourselves Into Defeat Or We Can Talk Ourselves Into Victory.

Why All Of These Broken Homes? What Happens To Marriages That Begin With Sincere Love And A Desire To Be Loyal And Faithful And True One To Another? There Is No Simple Answer. I Acknowledge That. But It Appears To Me That There Are Some Obvious Reasons That Account For A Very High Percentage Of These Problems. I Say This Out Of Experience In Dealing With Such Tragedies. I Find Selfishness To Be The Root Cause Of Most Of It.

Loyal And Faithful

Everyone Who Owns A Home Recognizes The Need For Fire Insurance. We Hope And Pray That There Will Never Be A Fire. Nevertheless, We Pay For Insurance To Cover Such A Catastrophe, Should It Occur. We Ought To Do The Same With Reference To Family Welfare.

Do The Best You Can. But I Want To Emphasize That It Be The Very Best. We Are Too Prone To Be Satisfied With Mediocre Performance. We Are Capable Of Doing So Much Better.

I Think That The Churches Do A Better Job In Many Respects Than The Government Does In Various Kinds Of Things. Extending Aid, The Helpfulness, And So On, Yes.

Notwithstanding The Trouble, Notwithstanding The Argument, Notwithstanding The Increasingly Heavy Hand Of Government, Notwithstanding The Spirit Of Arrogance We So Often Display, Notwithstanding The Growing Tide Of Pornography And Permissiveness, Notwithstanding Occasional Corruption In Public Office And Betrayal Of Sacred Trust-i Marvel At The Miracle Of America.

At This Time Of Christmas, This Season When Gifts Are Given, Let Us Not Forget That God Gave His Son, And His Son Gave His Life, That Each Of Us Might Have The Gift Of Eternal Life.

Of Course We're Christian. The Very Name Of The Church Declares That.

We Are Here To Assist Our Father In His Work And His Glory, 'to Bring To Pass The Immortality And Eternal Life Of Man' (moses 1:39). Your Obligation Is As Serious In Your Sphere Of Responsibility As Is My Obligation In My Sphere.

Keep Your Families Close Together, And Love And Honor Your Children.

Gratitude Is Of The Very Essence Of Worship. ... When You Walk With Gratitude, You Do Not Walk With Arrogance And Conceit And Egotism, You Walk With A Spirit Of Thanksgiving That Is Becoming To You And Will Bless Your Lives. Sincerely Giving Thanks Not Only Helps Us Recognize Our Blessings, It Also Unlocks The Doors Of Heaven And Helps Us Feel God's Love.

Listen To The Whisperings Of The Spirit, The Gift Of Revelation To Which You Are Entitled.

There Has Come To You As Your Birthright Something Beautiful And Sacred And Divine. Never Forget That. Your Eternal Father Is The Great Master Of The Universe. He Rules Over All, But He Also Will Listen To Your Prayers As His Daughter And Hear You As You Speak With Him. He Will Answer Your Prayers. He Will Not Leave You Alone.

You Have Not Failed Until You Quit Trying.

Books Represent The Accumulated Workings Of The Human Mind, The Endless Treasures Of Man's Thoughts.

As You Walk The Road Of Life, Be Careful Of Your Friends. They Can Make You Or Break You.

Our Hope Concerning The Future Is Great, And Our Faith Is Strong. We Know We’ve Scarcely Scratched The Surface Of That Which Will Come To Pass In The Years That Lie Ahead.

There Are Others Whose Lives Are Blessed When A Missionary Serves, Such As The Members Of His Family Who Support Him, Pray For Him, And Try To Live Worthy Of Him.

Watch What You Choose To Do. For Instance, Someone Might Want You To Smoke. Never Forget That I Told You - Don't Do It. Say No.that Can Of Beer That Somebody Wants You To Try, Don't Do It. Don't You Ever Do It.that Drug That Someone Might Want You To Use, Don't Touch It.stay Away From It. It Can Destroy You.

I Wish For Each Of You A Time, Perhaps Only An Hour, Spent In Silent Meditation And Quiet Reflection On The Wonder And The Majesty Of This, The Son Of God. Our Joy At This Season Is Because He Came Into The World.

Marriage In Its Truest Sense, Is A Partnership Of Equals, With Neither Exercising Dominion Over The Other, But, Rather, With Each Encouraging And Assisting The Other In Whatever Responsibilities And Aspirations He Or She Might Have.

God Is Weaving His Tapestry According To His Own Grand Design. All Flesh Is In His Hands. We Have No Need To Fear. We Have No Need To Worry. Our Imperative Need Is To Be Found Doing Our Duty.

The Home Is Under Siege. So Many Families Are Being Destroyed...if Anyone Can Change The Dismal Situation Into Which We Are Sliding, It Is You. Rise Up, Oh Women Of Zion, Rise Up To The Great Challenge Which Faces You. My Message To You, My Challenge To You, My Prayer Is That You Will Rededicate Yourselves To The Strengthening Of Your Homes.

One Of The Great Tragedies We Witness Almost Daily Is The Tragedy Of Men Of High Aim And Low Achievement. Their Motives Are Noble. Their Proclaimed Ambition Is Praiseworthy. Their Capacity To Achieve Is Great. But Their Discipline Is Weak. They Succumb To Indolence. Appetite Robs Them Of Will.

When I Was A Missionary In London Fifty Years Ago, My Companion And I Would Shake Hands In The Morning And Say To One Another, 'life Is Good'. Life In The Service Of The Lord Is Good. It Is Beautiful. It Is Rewarding.

How Wonderful It Is That We Believe In Modern Revelation. I Cannot Get Over The Feeling That If Revelation Were Needed Anciently, When Life Was Simple, That Revelation Is Also Needed Today, When Life Is Complex. There Never Was A Time In The History Of The Earth When Men Needed Revelation More Than They Need It Now.

Aim High, But Do Not Aim So High That You Totally Miss The Target. What Really Matters Is That He Will Love You, That He Will Respect You, That He Will Honor You, That He Will Be Absolutely True To You, That He Will Give You The Freedom Of Expression And Let You Fly In The Development Of Your Own Talents. He Is Not Going To Be Perfect, But If He Is Kind And Thoughtful, If He Knows How To Work And Earn A Living, If He Is Honest And Full Of Faith, The Chances Are You Will Not Go Wrong, That You Will Be Immensely Happy.

The Voice Of Heaven Is A Still Small Voice. The Voice Of Peace In The Home Is A Quiet Voice. There Is Need For Much Discipline In Marriage, Not Of One's Companion, But Of Oneself... When Couples Cultivate The Art Of The Soft Answer, It Blesses Their Home, Their Life Together, And Their Companionship.

For The Christ Of Whom I Speak Has Been Revealed In This, The Dispensation Of The Fulness [sic] Of Times. He, Together With His Father, Appeared To The Boy Joseph Smith In The Year 1820, And When Joseph Left The Grove That Day, He Knew More Of The Nature Of God Than All The Learned Ministers Of The Gospel Of The Ages.

Gratitude Is The Beginning Of Civility, Of Decency And Goodness, Of A Recognition That We Cannot Afford To Be Arrogant. We Should Walk With The Knowledge That We Will Need Help Every Step Of The Way.

In Terms Of You Happiness, In Terms Of The Matters That Make You Proud Or Sad, Nothing-i Repeat, Nothing-will Have So Profound An Effect On You As The Way Your Children Turn Out. You Will Either Rejoice And Boast Of Their Accomplishments Or You Will Weep, Head In Hands, Bereft And Forlorn, If They Become A Disappointment Or An Embarrassment To You.

I Think [forgiveness] May Be The Greatest Virtue On Earth, And Certainly The Most Needed. There Is So Much Of Meanness And Abuse, Of Intolerance And Hatred. There Is So Great A Need For Repentance And Forgiveness. It Is The Great Principle Emphasized In All Of Scripture, Both Ancient And Modern. Somehow Forgiveness, With Love And Tolerance, Accomplishes Miracles That Can Happen In No Other Way.

Repentance And Forgiveness

Choose Your Friends Carefully. It Is They Who Will Lead You In One Direction Or The Other. Everybody Wants Friends. Everybody Needs Friends. No One Wishes To Be Without Them. But Never Lose Sight Of The Fact That It Is Your Friends Who Will Lead You Along The Paths That You Will Follow.

As You Work With Your Associates To Help Them With Their Faith, You Will Save Them And Also Yourselves.

Do Not Let Fear Overcome Your Efforts.

All Writers Should Be Put In A Box And Thrown In The Sea.

The Discipline That Is Needed In Our Lives Is The Discipline That Comes From Within.

Life Is Precious. Life Is Sacred. And It Ought So To Be Observed.

How Precious Life Is

Life Is Precious

There Is Another Serious Thing To Which Many Young Men Become Addicted. This Is Anger. With The Least Provocation They Explode Into Tantrums Of Uncontrolled Rage. It Is Pitiful To See Someone So Weak. But Even Worse, They Are Prone To Lose All Sense Of Reason And Do Things Which Bring Later Regret.

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.

If Life Gets Too Hard To Stand, Kneel.

When Life Is Hard

You Must Ask For God's Help. After Each Failure, Ask Forgiveness, Pick Yourself Up, And Try Again.

Asking For Forgiveness

We Must Work Harder To Build Mutual Respect, An Attitude Of Tolerance, With Forbearance One For Another.

Pray For The Strength To Walk The High Road, Which At Times May Be Lonely But Which Will Lead To Peace And Happiness And Joy Supernal.

It Is Both Relaxing And Invigorating To Occasionally Set Aside The Worries Of Life, Seek The Company Of A Friendly Book...from The Reading Of 'good Books' There Comes A Richness Of Life That Can Be Obtained In No Other Way.

Richness Of Life

When An Individual Is Motivated By Great And Powerful Convictions Of Truth, Then He Disciplines Himself, Not Because Of The Demands Of The Church, But Because Of The Knowledge Within His Heart

Get On Your Knees And Pray, Then Get On Your Feet And Work.

It Is The Home Which Produces The Nursery Stock Of New Generations. I Hope That You Mothers Will Realize That When All Is Said And Done, You Have No More Compelling Responsibility, Nor Any Laden With Greater Rewards, Than The Nurture You Give Your Children In An Environment Of Security, Peace, Companionship, Love And Motivation To Grow And Do Well.

May I Suggest That You Write, That You Keep Journals, That You Express Your Thoughts On Paper. Writing Is A Great Discipline. It Is A Tremendous Educational Effort. It Will Assist You In Various Ways, And You Will Bless The Lives Of Many-your Families And Others-now And In The Years To Come, As You Put On Paper Some Of Your Experiences And Some Of Your Musings.

I Would That The Healing Power Of Christ Might Spread Over The Earth And Be Diffused Through Our Society And Into Our Homes, That It Might Cure Men's Hearts Of The Evil And Adverse Elements Of Greed And Hate And Conflict. I Believe It Could Happen. I Believe It Must Happen. If The Lamb Is To Lie Down With The Lion, Then Peace Must Overcome Conflict, Healing Must Mend Injury.

Every Righteous Man Or Woman Is Entitled To Revelation Concerning His Own Affairs.

Great Has Been Our Past, Wonderful Is Our Present, And Glorious Can Be Our Future.

He Who Lives Only Unto Himself Withers And Dies, While He Who Forgets Himself In The Service Of Others Grows And Blossoms.

By And Large, I Have Come To See That If We Complain About Life, It Is Because We Are Thinking Only Of Ourselves.

God Will Bless Us If We Walk In Humility.

In Very Large Measure Each Of Us Holds The Key To The Blessings Of The Almighty Upon Us. If We Wish The Blessing, We Must Pay The Price.

Don't Worry. I Say That To Myself Every Morning. It All Works Out In The End.

Our Entire Case As Members Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-day Saints Rests On The Validity Of This Glorious First Vision. ... Nothing On Which We Base Our Doctrine, Nothing We Teach, Nothing We Live By Is Of Greater Importance Than This Initial Declaration. I Submit That If Joseph Smith Talked With God The Father And His Beloved Son, Then All Else Of Which He Spoke Is True. This Is The Hinge On Which Turns The Gate That Leads To The Path Of Salvation And Eternal Life.

To Our Brothers And Sisters In Harm’s Way, We Say That We Pray For You. We Pray That The Lord Will Watch Over You And Preserve You From Injury And That You May Return Home And Pick Up Your Lives Again. We Know That You Are Not In That Land Of Blowing Sand And Brutal Heat Because You Enjoy The Games Of War. The Strength Of Your Commitment Is Measured By Your Willingness To Give Your Very Lives For That In Which You Believe.

I Know Your Lives Are Busy. I Know That You Have Much To Do. But I Make You A Promise That If You Will Go To The House Of The Lord, You Will Be Blessed; Life Will Be Better For You.

Let Thy Spirit Move Upon Him To Bring To Pass Those Measures Which Will Lift The Burdens Of Government From The Backs Of The People And Keep This Nation, Under God, A Citadel Of Freedom Standing As An Example To All The World.

There Is Something Wonderful About A Book. We Can Pick It Up. We Can Heft It. We Can Read It. We Can Set It Down. We Can Think Of What We Have Read. It Does Something For Us. We Can Share Great Minds, Great Actions, And Great Undertakings In The Pages Of A Book.

Love Is The Very Essence Of Life.

Conversations I Have Had With School Principals And Students Lead Me To The Same Conclusion-that...there Is An Evil And Growing Habit Of Profanity And The Use Of Foul And Filthy Language.

Just As Our Redeemer Gave His Life As A Vicarious Sacrifice For All Men, And In So Doing Became Our Savior, Even So We, In A Small Measure, When We Engage In Proxy Work In The Temple, Become As Saviors To Those On The Other Side.

You Will Have Significant Experiences. I Hope That You Will Write Them Down And Keep Record Of Them, That You Will Read Them From Time To Time And Refresh Your Memory Of Those Meaningful And Significant Things. Some May Be Funny. Some May Be Significant Only To You. Some Of Them May Be Sacred And Quietly Beautiful. Some May Build One Upon Another Until They Represent A Lifetime Of Special Experiences.

There Is No Substitute For Virtue. Keep Your Thoughts Virtuous. Rise Above The Filth That's All Around You In This World And Stand Tall In Strength And Virtue. You Can Do This And You Will Be Happier For It For As Long As You Live. God Bless You In Cherishing, Developing And Holding On To This Great Gift, The Quality Of Personal Virtue.

Let Your First Interest Be In Your Home. The Baby You Hold In Your Arms Will Grow Quickly As The Sunrise And The Sunset Of The Rushing Days.

I Commend To You The Virtues Of Thrift And Industry. In Doing So, I Do Not Wish You To Be A "tightwad," If You Will Pardon That Expression, Or To Be A Freeloader, Or Anything Of The Kind.

I Know Of No Other Practise Which Will Make One More Attractive In Conversation Than To Be Well-read In A Variety Of Subjects. There Is A Great Potential Within Each Of Us To Go On Learning. Regardless Of Our Age, Unless There Be Serious Illness, We Can Read, Study, Drink In The Writings Of Wonderful Men And Women. It Is Never Too Late To Learn.

Serious Illness

This Is My Prayer For All Of Us — 'lord, Increase Our Faith.' Increase Our Faith To Bridge The Chasms Of Uncertainty And Doubt. Grant Us Faith To Look Beyond The Problems Of The Moment To The Miracles Of The Future. Give Us Faith To Do What Is Right And Let The Consequence Follow.

All The Beauty In The Earth Bears The Fingerprint Of The Master Creator” Gordon B. Hinckley

Gordon B Hinckley

Every Good Citizen Adds To The Strength Of A Nation. With That Assumption I Do Not Hesitate To Say That The Nation Of Chile Is Better For Our Presence, And The Same Thing Is Happening In Every Other Nation Where We Are Operating.

God Is Only God When He Is Acting As Such.

Love Is The Only Force That Can Erase The Differences Between People Or Bridge The Chasms Of Bitterness.

Strength To Do Battle Begins With Enlisting The Strength Of God.

The Greatest Job That Any Mother Will Ever Do Will Be In Nurturing, Teaching, Lifting, Encouraging And Rearing Her Children In Righteousness And Truth. None Other Can Adequately Take Her Place.

It Isn't As Bad As You Sometimes Think It Is. It All Works Out. Don't Worry. I Say That To Myself Every Morning. It All Works Out In The End. Put Your Trust In God, And Move Forward With Faith And Confidence In The Future. The Lord Will Not Forsake Us. He Will Not Forsake Us. If We Will Put Our Trust In Him, If We Will Pray To Him, If We Will Live Worthy Of His Blessings, He Will Hear Our Prayers.

Somehow Forgiveness, With Love And Tolerance, Accomplishes Miracles That Can Happen In No Other Way.

Christmas Is More Than Trees And Twinkling Lights, More Than Toys And Gifts And Baubles Of A Hundred Varieties. It Is Love. It Is The Love Of The Son Of God For All Mankind. It Is Magnificent And Beautiful.

There Is No Obstacle Too Great, No Challenge Too Difficult, If We Have Faith.

If You Are Too Busy In Your Church Activities To Take Care Of Your Family, Then Perhaps We Had Better Find Something Else For You To Do.

God Will Always Make A Way Where There Is No Way.

I Love The Youth Of The Church. I Have Said Again And Again That I Think We Have Never Had A Better Generation Than This. How Grateful I Am For Your Integrity, For Your Ambition To Train Your Minds And Your Hands To Do Good Work, For Your Love Of The Word Of The Lord, And For Your Desire To Walk In Paths Of Virtue And Truth And Goodness.

I Don't Hesitate To Say If Every Family In The World Practiced [family Home Evening], You'd See A Very Great Difference In The Solidarity Of The Families Of The World.

Do You Want To Be Happy? Forget Yourself And Get Lost In This Great Cause.

. . . As People Serve, They Grow In Capacity. The Time And Effort Is Not A Sacrifice Because There Is Returned More Than Is Given.

You Have The Potential To Become Anything To Which You Set Your Mind. You Have A Mind And A Body And A Spirit. With These Three Working Together, You Can Walk The High Road That Leads To Achievement And Happiness. But This Will Require Effort And Sacrifice And Faith.

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.

Study A Foreign Language If You Have Opportunity To Do So. You May Never Be Called To A Land Where That Language Is Spoken, But The Study Will Have Given You A Better Understanding Of Your Own Tongue Or Of Another Tongue You May Be Asked To Acquire.

We All Know That Education Unlocks The Door Of Opportunity For The Young.

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.

It Is Imperative That Good People, Men And Women Of Principle, Be Involved In The Political Process; Otherwise We Abdicate Power To Those Whose Designs Are Almost Entirely Selfish.

How Much More Beautiful Would Be The World And The Society In Which We Live If...every Mother Regarded Her Children As The Jewels Of Her Life, As Gifts From The God Of Heaven, Who Is Their Eternal Father, And Brought Them Up In True Affection In The Wisdom And Admonition Of The Lord.

While You Should Be Friendly With All People, Select With Great Care Those Whom You Wish To Have Close To You. They Will Be Your Safeguards In Situations Where You May Vacillate Between Choices, And You In Turn May Save Them.

God Gave Us Our Agency. He Taught Us A Way. He Showed Us What To Do. But He Gave Us Our Agency And Left Us Free To Act As We Choose To Do.

We Must Build More Temples, And We Must Build Them More Quickly. This Is The Season To Build Temples. They Are Needed, And We Have The Means To Do So. The Lord Will Hold Us Accountable If We Do Not Work With Greater Accomplishment Than We Are Now Doing.

I Hope That Each One Of Us Will Be A Better Husband Or Wife, Kinder To One Another, More Thoughtful, More Restrained In Criticism, And More Generous With Compliments.

There Cannot Be Peace Where There Is Not Trust; There Cannot Be Freedom Where There Is Not Loyalty

The Truest Mark Of Your Success In Life Will Be The Quality Of Your Marriage

Success In Life

In All This World There Is No Substitute For Personal Integrity. It Includes Honor. It Includes Performance. It Includes Keeping One's Word. It Includes Doing What Is Right Regardless Of The Circumstances

True Love Is Not So Much A Matter Of Romance As It Is A Matter Of Anxious Concern For The Well-being Of One's Companion.

Well, We Have Nothing To Hide. Our History Is An Open Book. They May Find What They Are Looking For, But The Fact Is The History Of The Church Is Clear And Open And Leads To Faith And Strength And Virtues.

You Can Be Excellent In Every Way. You Can Be First Class. There Is No Need For You To Be A Scrub. Respect Yourself. Do Not Feel Sorry For Yourself. Do Not Dwell On Unkind Things Others May Say About You. Polish And Refine Whatever Talents The Lord Has Given You. Go Forward In Life With A Twinkle In Your Eye And A Smile On Your Face, But With Great And Strong Purpose In Your Heart. Love Life And Look For Its Opportunities.

We Feel The Need To Emphasize With Greater Clarity The Obligation For Members Of The Church To Become More Independent And Self Reliant.

I Almost Stand In Awe When I Think Of Joseph Smith. The Angel Appeared To Him In 1823 - He Said To This Simple Little Boy, 'your Name Should Be Known For Good And Evil Throughout The Entire World.'

Those Who Are Living The Principle Of Honesty Know That The Lord Does Bless Them. Theirs Is The Precious Right To Hold Their Heads In The Sunlight Of Truth, Unashamed Before Any Man. Brothers And Sisters, The Lord Requires His People To Be Honest. May We Desire With All Our Hearts To Be Honest In All Our Relationships And In All The Things That We Do.

It Is Good To Look To The Past To Gain Appreciation For The Present And Perspective For The Future. It Is Good To Look Upon The Virtues Of Those Who Have Gone Before; To Gain Strength For Whatever Lies Ahead. It Is Good To Reflect Upon The Work Of Those Who Labored So Hard And Gained So Little In This World, But Out Of Whose Dreams And Early Pains, So Well Nurtured, Has Come A Great Gravest Of Which We Are The Beneficiaries. Their Tremendous Example Can Become A Compelling Motivation For All Of Us. ~gordon B. Hinckley

There Is Too Much Of Criticism And Faultfinding With Anger And Raised Voices.

I Do Not Know What The Future Holds. I Do Not Wish To Sound Negative, But I Wish To Remind You Of The Warnings Of Scripture And The Teachings Of The Prophets Which We Have Had Constantly Before Us.

I Don't Think That The Internet Has Contributed Greatly To Immorality.

I Hope You Are Reading To Your Children, Out Loud. That's Much Better Than Watching Television, Much Better. They Won't Get Very Much Out Of Television Except Some Bad Thoughts.

Do The Best You Can. And Remember That The Greatest Asset You Have In This World Is Those Children Who You've Brought Into The World, And For Whose Nurture And Care You're Responsible.

I Don't Know That We Teach It. I Don't Know That We Emphasize It... I Understand The Philosophical Background Behind It, But I Don't Know A Lot About It, And I Don't Think Others Know A Lot About It.

In All Of Living, Have Much Fun And Laughter. Life Is To Be Enjoyed, Not Just Endured.

What A Wonderful Time It Is For Each Of Us To Do His Or Her Small Part In Moving The Work Of The Lord On To Its Magnificent Destiny.

No Matter How Old We Become, We Can Acquire Knowledge And Use It. We Can Gather Wisdom And Profit From It. We Can Grow And Progress And Improve-and, In The Process, Strengthen The Livs Of Those Within Our Circle Of Influence.

This Church Is True. It Will Weather Every Storm That Beats Against It. It Will Outlast Every Critic Who Rises To Mock It. It Was Established By God Our Eternal Father For The Blessing Of His Sons And Daughters Of All Generations. It Carries The Name Of Him Who Stands As Its Head, Even The Lord Jesus Christ, The Savior Of The World. It Is Governed And Moves By The Power Of The Priesthood. It Sends Forth To The World Another Witness Of The Divinity Of The Lord. Be Faithful, My Friends. Be True. Be Loyal To The Great Things Of God Which Have Been Revealed In This Dispensation.

I Am Grateful For Emphasis On Reading The Scriptures. I Hope That For You This Will Become Something Far More Enjoyable Than A Duty; That, Rather, It Will Become A Love Affair With The Word Of God. I Promise You That As You Read, Your Minds Will Be Enlightened And Your Spirits Will Be Lifted. At First It May Seem Tedious, But That Will Change Into A Wondrous Experience With Thoughts And Words Of Things Divine. Gordon B. Hinckley

If Every Man Would Make His Prime Concern The Comfort And Well-being Of His Wife And Every Wife Make Her Chief Concern The Comfort And Well-being Of Her Husband, We Would Have Very Little Divorce In The Land.

If You Will Accept Every Call That Comes To You Within The Church, You Will Grow In A Remarkable And Marvelous And Wonderful Way. With Responsibility Comes Growth, And The Lord Will Magnify You And Make You Equal To Every Responsibility Which Is Given You.

He Whose Birth We Commemorate This Season Is More Than The Symbol Of A Holiday. He Is The Son Of God, The Creator Of The Earth, The Jehovah Of The Old Testament, The Fulfillment Of The Law Of Moses, The Redeemer Of Mankind, The King Of Kings, The Prince Of Peace.

In Missionary Work, As In All Else, Preparation Precedes Power. Encouragement To Prepare While Still Very Young Can Make A Tremendous Difference.

Look For The Sunlight Through The Clouds.

There Is No Substitute Under The Heavens For Productive Labor. It Is The Process By Which Dreams Become Realities. It Is The Process By Which Idle Visions Become Dynamic Achievements. Most Of Us Are Inherently Lazy. We Would Rather Play Than Work. We Would Rather Loaf Than Work...but It Is Work That Spells The Difference In The Life Of A Man Or Woman. It Is Stretching Our Minds And Utilizing The Skills Of Our Hands That Lift Us From Mediocrity.

Good Books Are As Friends, Willing To Give To Us If We Are Willing To Make A Little Effort.

It Is Good To Look To The Past To Gain Appreciation For The Present And Perspective For The Future.

Though My Work May Be Menial, Though My Contribution May Be Small, I Can Perform It With Dignity And Offer It With Unselfishness. My Talents May Not Be Great, But I Can Use Them To Bless The Lives Of Others.... The Goodness Of The World In Which We Live Is The Accumulated Goodness Of Many Small And Seemingly Inconsequential Acts.

You Are Doing The Best You Can, And That Best Results In Good To Yourself And To Others. Do Not Nag Yourself With A Sense Of Failure. Get On Your Knees And Ask For The Blessings Of The Lord;then Stand On Your Feet And Do What You Are Asked To Do.

You Can't Build A Great Building On A Weak Foundation.

We Are Involved In An Intense Battle. It Is A Battle Between Right And Wrong, Between Truth And Error, Between The Design Of The Almighty On The One Hand And That Of Lucifer On The Other. For That Reason, We Desperately Need Moral Men And Women Who Stand On Principle, To Be Involved In The Political Process. Otherwise, We Abdicate Power To Those Whose Designs Are Almost Entirely Selfish.

Anger Is The Mother Of A Whole Brood Of Evil Actions. Divorce Too Often Is The Bitter Fruit Of Anger.

Be True To Who You Are And The Family Name You Bare.

Be True To Who You Are

Choose A Companion Of Your Own Faith. You Are Much More Likely To Be Happy. Choose A Companion You Can Always Honor, You Can Always Respect, One Who Will Complement You In Your Own Life, One To Whom You Can Give Your Entire Heart, Your Entire Love, Your Entire Allegiance, Your Entire Loyalty.

You Never Know How Much Good You Do.

Marriage Should Not Be Viewed As A Therapeutic Step To Solve Problems Such As Homosexual Inclinations Or Practices.

No Other Practice Will Make One More Attractive In Conversation Than To Be Well-read In A Variety Of Subjects.

All Of Us Have Problems. We Face Them Every Day. How Grateful I Am That We Have Difficult Things To Wrestle With. They Keep Us Young, They Keep Us Alive, They Keep Us Going, They Keep Us Humble. Be Grateful For Your Problems, And Know That Somehow There Will Come A Solution. Just Do The Best You Can, But Be Sure It Is The Very Best.

There Have Been Times When A Particularly Heavy Dose Of Such Cynicism Has Caused Me To Reflect That Surely This Is The Age And Place Of The Gifted Pickle Sucker!

It Is So Important To See That We Are All Converted, That We Have In Our Hearts A Conviction Concerning This Great Work. It Is Not A Matter Of The Head Only. It Is A Matter Of The Heart. It Is Being Touched By The Holy Spirit Until We Know That This Work Is True, That Joseph Smith Was Verily A Prophet Of God, That God Lives And That Jesus Christ Lives And That They Appeared To The Boy Joseph Smith, That The Book Of Mormon Is True, That The Priesthood Is Here With All Of Its Gifts And Blessings.

There Is A Portent Of Stormy Weather Ahead To Which We Had Better Give Heed...no One Knows When Emergencies Will Strike...set Your Houses In Order. If You Have Paid Your Debts, If You Have A Reserve, Even Though It Be Small, Then Should Storms Howl About Your Head, You Will Have Shelter For Your Wife And Children And Peace In Your Hearts. That's All I Have To Say About It, But I Wish To Say It With All The Emphasis Of Which I Am Capable.

You Are Great Young People. I Have Said Again And Again, We Have The Finest Generation Of Young People Ever In The History Of This Church. I Believe It. You Know The Gospel Better. You Come To Seminary And You Learn About The Things Of The Lord Here. You Know More About The Gospel Than Those Of My Generation At Your Age Did Without Any Question. I Am Satisfied Of That. Furthermore, You Are Intrinsically Better. You Are Wonderful Young People!

Nobody Is Lost Until Somebody Has Given Up.

The Trick, My Brethren And Sisters Is To Enjoy The Journey, Traveling Hand In Hand, In Sunshine And Storm, As Companions Who Love One Another.

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