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There Is A Sad Tendency In Our World Today For Persons To Cut One Another Down. Did You Ever Realize That It Does Not Take Very Much In The Way Of Brainpower To Make Remarks That May Wound Another? Try The Opposite Of That. Try Handing Out Compliments.

-Gordon B. Hinckley

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There Is A Sad

Gordon B. Hinckley

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There Is A Sad Tendency In Our World Today For Persons To Cut One Another Down. Did You Ever Realize That It Does Not Take Very Much In The Way Of Brainpower To Make Remarks That May Wound Another? Try The Opposite Of That. Try Handing Out Compliments.

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

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

But No One Can Blink At The Fact That In This Land, And In Other Lands Across The World, There Is An Epidemic Affecting The Lives Of Millions Of Youth. It Is A Sickness That Comes Of A Loss Of Values, Of An Abandonment Of Moral Absolutes. The Virus Which Has Infected Them Comes Of Leaderless Families, Leaderless Schools, Leaderless Communities. It Comes Of An Attitude That Says, "we Will Not Teach Moral Values. We Will Leave The Determination Of Such To The Individual."

You Will Find Peace And Happiness If You Will Live The Gospel.

Peace And Happiness

God Is Only God When He Is Acting As Such.

Limitless Is Your Potential. Magnificent Is Your Future.

Thank And Glorify His Beloved Son, Who, With Indescribable Suffering, Gave His Life On Calvary's Cross To Pay The Debt Of Mortal Sin. He It Was Who, Through His Atoning Sacrifice, Broke The Bonds Of Death And With Godly Power Rose Triumphant From The Tomb. He Is Our Redeemer, The Redeemer Of All Mankind. He Is The Savior Of The World. He Is The Son Of God, The Author Of Our Salvation.

The Religion Of Which You Are A Part Is 7 Days A Week. It Isn't Just Sunday, It Isn't The Block Plan, It Isn't Just 3 Hours In Church, It Isn't Just The Time You Spend In Seminary - It's All The Time, 24 Hours A Day, 7 Days A Week, 365 Days A Year.

Love Is The Very Essence Of Life.

Contrary To What You May Think, An Immoral Act Of Any Kind Will Only Lower Your Self-esteem. Be True To Yourselves, And Your Respect For Yourself Will Increase. Know That Yours Is A Divine Birthright. Cultivate A Good Opinion Of Yourselves. Others May Make Cutting Remarks Concerning You. This Is Only A Sign Of Their Ignorance And Not Of Your Qualities. Walk With That Dignity Which Is Becoming A Young Woman Who Is A Daughter Of God.

Believe In Jesus Christ, Our Savior And Our Redeemer, The Son Of God, Who Came To Earth And Walked The Dusty Roads Of Palestine - The Son Of God - To Teach Us The Way Of Truth And Light And Salvation, And Who, In One Great And Glorious Act Offered An Atonement For Each Of Us. He Opened The Way Of Salvation And Exaltation For Each Of Us, Under Which We May Go Forward In The Church And Kingdom Of God. Be Not Faithless, But Believe In The Great And Wonderful And Marvelous Blessings Of The Atonement.

There Is No Association Richer Than The Companionship Of Husband And Wife.

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.

Do Not Nag Yourself With A Sense Of Failure

Something Happens Inside Of Us When We Are Courteous And Deferential Toward Others. It Is All Part Of A Refining Process, Which If Persisted In, Will Change Our Very Natures.

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.

Knowledge, Learning, Is An Eternal Thing.

Knowledge Learning

No Man's Faith, No Man's Religion, No Religion In All The World Can Ever Rise Above The Truth.

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

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

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

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

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.

I Am Suggesting That We Spend A Little Less Time In Idleness, In The Fruitless Pursuit Of Watching Inane And Empty Television Programs. Time So Utilized Can Be Put To Better Advantage, And The Consequences Will Be Wonderful.

The Happiest People I Know Are Those Who Lose Themselves In The Service Of Others

Miserable People

When I Say Do Your Best, I Mean Your Very Best. You Are Capable Of So Much More.

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.

Don’t Be Gloomy. Do Not Dwell On Unkind Things. Stop Seeking Out The Storms And Enjoy More Fully The Sunlight. Even If You Are Not Happy, Put A Smile On Your Face. ‘accentuate The Positive.’ Look A Little Deeper For The Good. Go Forward In Life With A Twinkle In Your Eye And A Smile On Your Face, With Great And Strong Purpose In Your Heart. Love Life.

The Constitution Under Which We Live And Which Has Not Only Blessed Us But Has Become A Model For Other Constitutions, Is Our God-inspired National Safeguard Ensuring Freedom And Liberty, Justice And Equality Before The Law.

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

Each Of Us Has To Face The Matter — Either The Church Is True, Or It Is A Fraud. There Is No Middle Ground. It Is The Church And Kingdom Of God, Or It Is Nothing.

There Is No Strength That Is Greater Than The Strength Of Virtue. There Is No Other Nobility Equal To The Nobility Of Virtue. There Is No Quality So Becoming, No Attire So Attractive.

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

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

Live Today As If You Were Going To Live Forever, For You Surely Shall.

If You Serve A Mission Faithfully And Well, You Will Be A Better Husband, You Will Be A Better Father, You Will Be A Better Student, A Better Worker In Your Chosen Vocation. Love Is Of The Essence Of This Missionary Work. Selflessness Is Of Its Very Nature. Self-discipline Is Its Requirement. Prayer Opens Its Reservoir Of Power.

Everything That Occurs In The Temple Is Uplifting And Ennobling. It Speaks Of Life Here And Life Beyond The Grave. It Speaks Of The Importance Of The Individual As A Child Of God. It Speaks Of The Importance Of The Family And The Eternity Of The Marriage Relationship.

Church - Come Here To Learn, Go Forth To Serve.

When We Speak Quietly One To Another Things Somehow Get Settled.

If We Could Follow The Slogan That Says,"turn Off The Tv And Open A Good Book" We Would Do Something Of Substance For A Future Generation.

Walk By Faith. God Will Open The Way. When There Is No Way, He Will Open The Way.

... 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

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

Work Is The Miracle By Which Talent Is Brought To The Surface And Dreams Become Reality.

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

Faith In Something Greater Than Ourselves Enables Us To Do What We Have Said We'll Do, To Press Forward When We Are Tired Or Hurt Or Afraid, To Keep Going When The Challenge Seems Overwhelming And The Course Is Entirely Uncertain.

Look For The Sunlight Through The Clouds.

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

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

When There Throbs In The Heart Of An Individual Latter-day Saint A Great And Vital Testimony Of The Truth Of This Work, He Will Be Found Doing Is Duty In The Church.

Remember That Whatever You Do Or Wherever You Are, You Are Never Alone.

Wherever You Are

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.

You Never Know How Much Good You Do.

Gratitude Is The Beginning Of Wisdom. Stated Differently, True Wisdom Cannot Be Obtained Unless It Is Built On A Foundation Of True Humility And Gratitude.

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

Under The Plan Of Heaven, The Husband And The Wife Walk Side By Side As Companions, Neither One Ahead Of The Other, But A Daughter Of God And A Son Of God Walking Side By Side. Let Your Families Be Families Of Love And Peace And Happiness. Gather Your Children Around You And Have Your Family Home Evenings, Teach Your Children The Ways Of The Lord, Read To Them From The Scriptures, And Let Them Come To Know The Great Truths Of The Eternal Gospel As Set Forth In These Words Of The Almighty.

Some Of You May Feel That You Are Not As Attractive And Beautiful And Glamorous As You Would Like To Be. Rise Above Any Such Feelings, Cultivate The Light You Have Within You, And It Will Shine Through As A Radiant Expression That Will Be Seen By Others. You Need Never Feel Inferior. You Need Never Feel That You Were Born Without Talents Or Without Opportunities To Give Them Expression. Cultivate Whatever Talents You Have, And They Will Grow Anв Refine And Become An Expression Of Your True Self Appreciated By Others.

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.

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.'

Work At Our Responsibility As Parents As If Everything In Life Counted On It.

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.

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.

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.

Quiet Talk Is The Language Of Love. It Is The Language Of Peace. It Is The Language Of God.

Language Of Love

I Too Believe That God Will Always Make A Way Where There Is No Way. I Believe That If We Will Walk In Obedience To The Commandments Of God, If We Will Follow The Counsel Of The Priesthood, He Will Open A Way Even Where There Appears To Be No Way.

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.

With The Increase Of Missionary Work Throughout The World, There Must Be A Comparable Increase In The Effort To Make Every Convert Feel At Home In His Or Her Ward Or Branch. . . . I Invite Every Member To Reach Out In Friendship And Love For Those Who Come Into The Church As Converts.

Love And Friendship

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.

Don't Be Gloomy. Even If You Are Not Happy, Put A Smile On Your Face. [life Is About] Joy,... Something To Be Happy And Excited About.

For Me, The Reading Of The Scriptures Is Not The Pursuit Of Scholarship. Rather, It Is A Love Affair With The Word Of The Lord And That Of His Prophets.

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

Be True To Who You Are

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.

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.

How Thankful I Am, How Thankful We All Must Be, For The Women In Our Lives. God Bless Them. May His Great Love Distill Upon Them And Crown Them With Luster And Beauty, Grace And Faith.

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.

The World Is Our Responsibility. We Cannot Evade It.

If Life Gets Too Hard To Stand, Kneel.

When Life Is Hard

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.

You Can Be Smart And Happy Or Stupid And Miserable. . . It's Your Choice

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.

There Are Four Pillars To A Happy Marriage: Respect One Another As Individuals; (give) Soft Answers; (practice)financial Honesty; (conduct) Family Prayer.

I Urge Our People Everywhere, With All Of The Persuasiveness Of Which I Am Capable, To Live Worthy To Hold A Temple Recommend, To Secure One And Regard It As A Precious Asset, And To Make A Greater Effort To Go To The House Of The Lord And Partake Of The Spirit And The Blessings To Be Had Therein.

Gratitude Is A Sign Of Maturity...where There Is Appreciation: There Is Also Courtesy And Concern For The Rights And Property Of Others.

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 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.

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.

Don't Waste Your Time Searching And Wishing. Grow And Be Ready...and You'll See God Will Give You A Love Story Far Better Than You Could Ever Dreamed Of.

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 Would Be No Christmas If There Had Not Been Easter. The Babe Jesus Of Bethlehem Would Be But Another Baby Without The Redeeming Christ Of Gethsemane And Calvary, And The Triumphant Fact Of The Resurrection.

I Have Seen Miracles In My Time, My Brothers And Sisters. The Greatest Miracle Of All, I Believe, Is The Transformation That Comes Into The Life Of A Man Or A Woman Who Accepts The Restored Gospel Of Jesus Christ And Tries To Live It In His Or Her Life.

To Save A Girl Is To Save Generations!

It Is Difficult To Press Forward If We Do Not Know How To Obey.

Let Everything That You Do Bring Credit And Honor To The Church, Of Which You Are A Member, And The Lord Will Bless You And Magnify You. Let There Be No Animosity Among You But Only Love, Regardless Of Race, Regardless Of Circumstances. Let Us Love One Another As The Lord Would Have Us Do

The Greatness Of The World In Which We Live Is The Accumulated Goodness Of Many Small And Seemingly Inconsequential Acts.

We Are Sometimes Told That We Are Not A Biblical Church. We Are A Biblical Church. This Wonderful Testament Of The Old World, This Great And Good Holy Bible Is One Of Our Standard Works. We Teach From It. We Bear Testimony Of It. We Read From It. It Strengthens Our Testimony. And We Add To That This Great Second Witness, The Book Of Mormon, The Testament Of The New World, For As The Bible Says, "in The Mouth Of Two Or Three Witnesses Shall [all Things] Be Established" (2 Cor. 13:1).

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.

The Gospel Is A Thing Of Joy. It Provides Us With A Reason For Gladness. Of Course There Are Times Of Sorrow. Of Course There Are Hours Of Concern And Anxiety. We All Worry. But The Lord Has Told Us To Lift Our Hearts And Rejoice. I See So Many People...who Seem Never To See The Sunshine, But Who Constantly Walk With Storms Under Cloudy Skies. Cultivate An Attitude Of Happiness. Cultivate A Spirit Of Optimism. Walk With Faith, Rejoicing In The Beauties Of Nature, In The Goodness Of Those You Love, In The Testimony Which You Carry In Your Heart Concerning Things Divine.

I Wish To Be Up And Doing. I Wish To Face Each Day With Resolution And Purpose. I Wish To Use Every Waking Hour To Give Encouragement, To Bless Those Whose Burdens Are Heavy, To Build Faith And Strength Of Testimony.

The Singing Of Hymns And The Rendition Of Selections From The Great Sacred Oratorios By Ward Choirs All Enhance The Spirit Of Worship.

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.

Our Eternal Father Lives. He Stands As The Great God Of The Universe, Ruling In Majesty And Power. And Yet He Is My Father, To Whom I May Go In Prayer With The Assurance That He Will Hear, Listen, And Answer.

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.

Work Will Cure Your Grief. Serve Others.

I Believe That I Am A Child Of God, Endowed With A Divine Birthright. I Believe That There Is Something Of Divinity Within Me And Within Each Of You. I Believe That We Have A Godly Inheritance And That It Is Our Responsibility, Our Obligation, And Our Opportunity To Cultivate And Nurture The Very Best Of These Qualities Within Us.

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.

Go Forward In Life With A Twinkle In Your Eye And A Smile On Your Face, But With Great Purpose In Heart.

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.

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

Beer And Other Forms Of Alcohol Will Do You No Good. Their Use Will Be Expensive, Will Dull Your Conscience, And Could Lead To The Disease Called Alcoholism, Which Is Humiliating, Dangerous, And Even Deadly.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

In All We Do We Must Cultivate Faith. Increased Faith Is The Touchstone To Improved Church Performance.

The Willingness To Forgive Is A Sign Of Spiritual And Emotional Maturity. It Is One Of The Great Virtues To Which We All Should Aspire. Imagine A World Filled With Individuals Willing Both To Apologize And To Accept An Apology. Is There Any Problem That Could Not Be Solved Among People Who Possessed The Humility And Largeness Of Spirit And Soul To Do Either -- Or Both -- When Needed?

Mortality Is But A Stepping-stone To A More Glorious Existence In The Future.

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.

I See A Wonderful Future In A Very Uncertain World. If We Will Cling To Our Values, If We Will Build On Our Inheritance, If We Will Walk In Obedience Before The Lord, If We Will Simply Live The Gospel We Will Be Blessed In A Magnificent And Wonderful Way. We Will Be Looked Upon As A Peculiar People Who Have Found The Key To A Peculiar Happiness.

If We Will Concentrate On The Best, That Element Will Grow Until It Sparkles.

I Remind You That No Man Who Makes Disparaging Remarks Concerning Those Of Another Race Can Consider Himself A True Disciple Of Christ," Said President Hinckley. "how Can Any Man Holding The Melchizedek Priesthood Arrogantly Assume That He Is Eligible For The Priesthood Whereas Another Who Lives A Righteous Life But Whose Skin Is Of A Different Color, Is Ineligible?

There Must Be Labor, Incessant And Constant, If There Is To Be A Harvest.

Imagine How Our Own Families, Let Alone The World, Would Change If We Vowed To Keep Faith With One Another, Strengthen One Another, Look For And Accentuate The Virtues In One Another, And Speak Graciously Concerning One Another. Imagine The Cumulative Effect If We Treated Each Other With Respect And Acceptance, If We Willingly Provided Support. Such Interactions Practiced On A Small Scale Would Surely Have A Rippling Effect Throughout Our Homes And Communities And, Eventually, Society At Large.

Let There Be Music In The Home. If You Have Teenagers Who Have Their Own Recordings, You Will Be Prone To Describe The Sound As Something Other Than Music. Let Them Occasionally Hear Something Better. Expose Them To It. It Will Speak For Itself. More Of Appreciation Will Come Than You May Think. It May Not Be Spoken, But It Will Be Felt, And Its Influence Will Become Increasingly Manifest As The Years Pass.

Happy Is The Man Who Can Brush Aside The Offending Remarks Of Another And Go On His Way.

A Tattoo Is Graffiti On The Temple Of The Body.

My Plea Is That We Stop Seeking Out The Storms And Enjoy More Fully The Sunlight...i Am Asking That We Look A Little Deeper For The Good, That We Still Our Voices Of Insult And Sarcasm, That We More Generously Compliment And Endorse Virtue And Effort.

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.

The Most Important Step You Have Made Or Will Make In Your Life Is Marriage. Its Consequences Are Many, So Important And So Everlasting.. No Other Decision Will Have Such Tremendous Consequences For The Future.

Rise Above... Cultivate The Light You Have Within You, And It Will Shine Through As A Radiant Expression That Will Be Seen By Others.

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.

Of Course We're Christian. The Very Name Of The Church Declares That. The More People See Us And Come To Know Us, The More I Believe They Will Come To Realize That We Are Trying To Exemplify In Our Lives And In Our Living The Great Ideals Which (jesus Christ) Taught.

We Wear On Our Faces The Results Of What We Believe And How We Behave, And Such Behavior Is Most Evident In The Eyes And On The Faces Of Those Who Have Lived Many Years.

If You Go To Bed At 10:00 And Get Up By 6:00 A.m., Things Will Work Out For You.

The Kingdom Of Heaven And The Kingdom Of God On The Earth Will Be Combined Together At Christ's Coming - And That Time Is Not Far Distant. How I Wish We Could Get The Vision Of This Work, The Genius Of It, And Realize The Nearness Of That Great Event. I Am Sure It Would Have A Sobering Effect Upon Us If We Realized What Is Before Us.

If Every Husband And Every Wife Would Constantly Do Whatever Might Be Possible To Ensure The Comfort And Happiness Of His Or Her Companion, There Would Be Very Little, If Any, Divorce. Argument Would Never Be Heard. Accusations Would Never Be Leveled. Angry Explosions Would Not Occur. Rather, Love And Concern Would Replace Abuse And Meanness.

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.

You Are Good. But It Is Not Enough Just To Be Good. You Must Be Good For Something.

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

May I Mention Earrings And Rings Placed In Other Parts Of The Body. These Are Not Manly. They Are Not Attractive. You Young Men Look Better Without Them, And I Believe You Will Feel Better Without Them. As For The Young Women, You Do Not Need To Drape Rings Up And Down Your Ears. One Modest Pair Of Earrings Is Sufficient.

God Bless You, My Beloved Sisters, Who Stand As The Queens In Your Home, That You May Be Happy With That Happiness Which Comes Of The Knowledge That You Are Loved And Honored And Treasured.

Life Is To Be Enjoyed, Not Endured

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

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.

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.

Be Strong-be Strong In The Discipline Of Self. How Many Otherwise Good Men Squander Their Strength And Dissipate Their Will And Literally Destroy Their Lives Because They Have Not The Power Of Self-discipline.

Our Kindness May Be The Most Persuasive Argument For That Which We Believe.

If We Are Worried About The Future, Then We Must Look Today At The Upbringing Of Children.

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.

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

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.

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.

Our Whole Strength Rests On The Validity Of [joseph Smith's] Vision. It Either Occurred Or It Did Not Occur. If It Did Not, Then This Work Is A Fraud. If It Did, Then It Is The Most Important And Wonderful Work Under The Heavens.

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

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.

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!

Stop Seeking Out The Storms And Enjoy More Fully The Sunlight.

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

Selfishness So Often Is The Basis Of Money Problems, Which Are A Very Serious And Real Factor Affecting The Stability Of Family Life. Selfishness Is At The Root Of Adultery, The Breaking Of Solemn And Sacred Covenants To Satisfy Selfish Lust. Selfishness Is The Antithesis Of Love. It Is A Cankering Expression Of Greed. It Destroys Self-discipline. It Obliterates Loyalty. It Tears Up Sacred Covenants. It Afflicts Both Men And Women.

A Marvelous Thing It Would Be To Stand With Confidence, Unafraid, Unashamed, And Unembarrassed In The Presence Of God.

Presence Of God

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.

Without Preservation And Cultivation Of The Spiritual, Your Material Success Will Be As Ashes In Your Mouths.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Under The Sacred And Compelling Trust We Have As Members Of The Church Of Jesus Christ, Ours Is A Work Of Redemption, Of Lifting And Saving Those Who Need Help. Ours Is A Task Of Raising The Sights Of Those Of Our People Who Fail To Realize The Great Potential That Lies Within Them.

What I Am Suggesting Is That Each Of Us Turn From The Negativism That Permeates Our Society And Look For The Remarkable Good Among Those With Whom We Associate, That We Speak Of One Another’s Virtues More Than We Speak Of One Another’s Faults, That Optimism Replace Pessimism, That Our Faith Exceed Our Fears. When I Was A Young Man And Was Prone To Speak Critically, My Father Would Say: “cynics Do Not Contribute, Skeptics Do Not Create, Doubters Do Not Achieve.

Positive Thinking

To Me The Gospel Is Not A Great Mass Of Theological Jargon. It Is A Simple And Beautiful And Logical Thing, With One Quiet Truth Following Another In Orderly Sequence. I Do Not Fret Over The Mysteries. I Do Not Worry Whether The Heavenly Gates Swing Or Slide. I Am Only Concerned That They Open.

Mediocrity Will Never Do. You Are Capable Of Something Better.

Our Lives Are The Only Meaningful Expression Of What We Believe And In Whom We Believe. And The Only Real Wealth, For Any Of Us, Lies In Our Faith.

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

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.

Most Of The Things That Make You Angry Are Of Very Small Consequence. And What A Terrible Price You Are Paying For Your Anger.

It Is Not So Much The Major Events As The Small Day-to-day Decisions That Map The Course Of Our Living. . . Our Lives Are, In Reality, The Sum Total Of Our Seemingly Unimportant Decisions And Of Our Capacity To Live By Those Decisions.

I Don't Know How To Get Anything Done Except Getting On My Knees And Pleading For Help And Then Getting On My Feet And Going To Work.

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.

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.

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

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 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.

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!

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

We Live In A Society That Feeds On Criticism. It Is So Easy To Find Fault, And To Resist Doing So Requires Much Discipline.

Are These Perilous Times? They Are. But We Can Have Peace In Our Hearts And In Our Homes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

We Need To Have A Little Humor In Our Lives. .if The Time Ever Comes When We Can't Smile At Ourselves, It Will Be A Sad Time.

Let There Be Cultivated An Awareness In Every Member's Heart Of His Own Potential For Bringing Others To A Knowledge Of The Truth. Let Him Work At It. Let Him Pray With Great Earnestness About It

The Family Is A Creation Of God. The Way To Strengthen The Nation Is To Strengthen The Homes Of The People.

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

Every Sacrament Meeting Ought To Be A Spiritual Feast.

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

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

There Is No More Compelling Motivation To Worthwhile Endeavor Than The Knowledge That We Are Children Of God, That God Expects Us To Do Something With Our Lives, And That He Will Give Us Help When Help Is Sought.

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Arthur Eddington

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