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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).

-Gordon B. Hinckley

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We Are Sometimes Told

Gordon B. Hinckley

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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).

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Look For The Sunlight Through The Clouds.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Be True To Who You Are

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.

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.

Knowledge Without Labor Is Profitless. Knowledge With Labor Is Genius.

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

Mutual Respect, The Soft Answer, Financial Honesty With The Lord, Prayer. "i Do Not Hesitate To Promise That If You Will Go To Your Homes And Cultivate And Nurture It Among These Four Cornerstones, Your Lives Will Be Happy."

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

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.

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

Jesus Christ Is The Son Of God, Who Condescended To Come Into This World Of Misery, Struggle, And Pain To Touch Men's Hearts For Good, To Teach The Way Of Eternal Life, And To Give Himself As A Sacrifice For The Sins Of Mankind. How Different, How Empty Our Lives Would Be Without Him. How Infinite Is Our Opportunity For Exaltation Made Possible Through His Redeeming Love.

God Has Saved You To Make Your Appearance In The Last Days.

Tremendous Happiness And Peace Of Mind Are The Results Of Loving Service To Others. Nobody Can Live Fully And Happily Who Lives Only Unto Himself Or Herself.

Service To Others

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

Conflict Grows Out Of Ignorance And Suspicion. As We Learn To Know And Appreciate Those Of Various Cultures, We Come To Appreciate Them.

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

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

Wherever You Are

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

You Are Good. But It Is Not Enough Just To Be Good. You Must Be Good For Something. You Must Contribute Good To The World. The World Must Be A Better Place For Your Presence. And The Good That Is In You Must Be Spread To Others.

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.

Simple Honesty Is So Remarkable A Quality. It Is Of The Very Essence Of Integrity.

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

We Live In Terribly Complex Times. We Are Confronted By Very Serious Problems. Some Of Us Are Faced With Sickness, With Economic Difficulties, With Worry And Concern Over Many Matters. Our Refuge, Our Peace, Our Well-being Lie In Walking In The Way Of The Lord.

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!

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.

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 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.

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

Believe In The Power Of Prayer - It Is Real, It Is Wonderful, It Is Tremendous.

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.

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

Absence Of Gratitude Is The Mark Of The Narrow, Uneducated Mind. It Bespeaks A Lack Of Knowledge And The Ignorance Of Self-sufficiency. It Expresses Itself In Ugly Egotism And Frequently In Wanton Mischief. We Have Seen Our Beaches, Our Parks, Our Forests Littered With Ugly Refuse By Those Who Evidently Have No Appreciation For Their Beauty. I Have Driven Through Thousands Of Acres Of Blackened Land Scourged By A Fire Evidently Set By A Careless Smoker Whose Only Concern Had Been The Selfish Pleasure Gained From A Cigarette.

All Of Us Have To Deal With Death At One Time Or Another, But To Have In One's Heart A Solid Conviction Concerning The Reality Of Eternal Life Is To Bring A Sense Of Peace In An Hour Of Tragedy That Can Come From No Other Source Under The Heavens

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

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

Education Will Equip You To Do Something Worthwhile In The Great World Of Opportunity That Lies Ahead.

One Has Neither Independence Nor Freedom From Bondage When He Is Obligated To Others

I Am Satisfied That Every Man Or Woman Who Goes To The Temple In A Spirit Of Sincerity And Faith Leaves The House Of The Lord A Better Man Or Woman.

None Of Us Is Perfect. There Was Only One Perfect Man Who Ever Walked The Earth, And He Was The Son Of God. We All Have Weaknesses And I Guess We All Make Mistakes And Will Make Mistakes In The Future, But Look For The Virtues, The Strengths, The Goodness In Those With Whom You Labor, And Draw Those Characteristics Into Your Own Lives And Make Them A Part Of Yourselves, And You Will Be The Richer For It All The Days That You Live.

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

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.

I Believe Without Any Doubt That You Are The Finest Generation This Church Has Ever Had.

Respect For Self Is The Beginning Of Cultivating Virtue In Men And Women.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

It Is Both Revealing And Invigorating To Occasionally Set Aside The Worries Of Life, Seek The Company Of A Friendly Book And Mingle With The Great Of The Earth, Counsel With The Wise Of All Time, Look Into The Unlived Days With Prophets...to Become Acquainted With Real Nobility As It Walks The Pages Of History And Science And Literature Is To Strengthen Character And Develop Life In Its Finer Meanings.

Let Us Stand A Little Taller, If You Don't, You Will Never Strengthen Yourself

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

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.

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.

Woman Is God’s Supreme Creation. Only After The Earth Had Been Formed, After The Day Had Been Separated From The Night, After The Waters Had Been Divided From The Land, After Vegetation And Animal Life Had Been Created, And After Man Had Been Placed On The Earth, Was Woman Created; And Only Then Was The Work Pronounced Complete And Good.

Without Labor There Is Neither Wealth, Nor Comfort, Nor Progress.

Prayer Is The Great Gift Which Our Eternal Father Has Given Us By Which We May Approach Him And Speak With Him In The Name Of The Lord Jesus Christ. Be Prayerful. You Cannot Make It Alone. You Cannot Reach Your Potential Alone. You Need The Help Of The Lord.

What I Fear From These Reports Is That The Prevalent Use Of Foul Language Has Become An Acceptable Pattern In The Schools, Probably Due In Large Part To The Influence Of Tv And The General Permissiveness In Our Society.

Forget Yourself And Get To Work.

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

Christmas Means Giving. The Father Gave His Son, And The Son Gave His Life. Without Giving There Is No True Christmas, And Without Sacrifice There Is No True Worship.

Do You Feel Gloomy? Lift Your Eyes. Stand On Your Feet. Say A Few Words Of Appreciation And Love To The Lord. Be Positive.

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.

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

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 Few Things More Pathetic Than Those Who Have Lost Their Curiosity And Sense Of Adventure, And Who No Longer Care To Learn.

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

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

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.

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.

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 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

This Church Does Not Belong To Its President. Its Head Is The Lord Jesus Christ, Whose Name Each Of Us Has Taken Upon Ourselves. We Are All In This Great Endeavor Together. We Are Here To Assist Our Father In His Work And His Glory. Your Obligation Is As Serious In Your Sphere Of Responsibility As Is My Obligation In My Sphere. No Calling In This Church Is Small Or Of Little Consequence.

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.

People Who Carry In Their Hearts A Strong Conviction Concerning The Living Reality Of The Almighty And Their Accountability To Him For What They Do With Their Lives Are Far Less Likely To Become Enmeshed In Problems That Inevitably Weaken Society.

God Will Bless Us If We Walk In Humility.

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.

Dishonesty Of Any Kind Will Create A Blemish.

If Life Gets Too Hard To Stand, Kneel.

When Life Is Hard

It Is My Faith And Conviction That The Constitution Came Not Alone Of The Brain And Purpose Of Man, But Of The Inspiration Of God.

There Is Nothing The Lord Has Asked Of Us That In Faith We Cannot Accomplish.

Without Reservation I Promise You That If Each Of You Will Observe This Simple Program, Regardless Of How Many Times You Previously May Have Read The Book Of Mormon, There Will Come Into Your Lives And Into Your Homes An Added Measure Of The Spirit Of The Lord, A Strengthened Resolution To Walk In Obedience To His Commandments, And A Stronger Testimony Of The Living Reality Of The Son Of God.

Knowledge, Learning, Is An Eternal Thing.

Knowledge Learning

We Live In A World Where Knowledge Is Developing At An Ever-accelerating Rate. Drink Deeply From This Ever-springing Well Of Wisdom And Human Experience.

Human Experience

The Best Medicine For Despair Is Service.

As We Give Presents At Christmas, We Need To Recognize That Sharing Our Time And Ourselves Is Such An Important Part Of Giving.

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

People Are Looking For Stability In A Shaky World. They Want Something They Can Get Hold Of That's Firm And Sure And An Anchor In The Midst Of All Of This Instability In Which They're Living.

We Pledge Our Loyalty; We Affirm Our Determination To Be Of Good Courage; We Declare, Sometimes Even Publicly, That Come What May We Will Do The Right Thing, That We Will Stand For The Right Cause, That We Will Be True To Ourselves And To Others. Then The Pressures Begin To Build. Sometimes These Are Social Pressures. Sometimes They Are Personal Appetites. Sometimes They Are False Ambitions. There Is A Weakening Of The Will. There Is A Softening Of Discipline. There Is Capitulation. And Then There Is Remorse, Self-accusation, And Bitter Tears Of Regret.

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.

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

Limitless Is Your Potential. Magnificent Is Your Future.

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.

It Is Important To Know When You Feel Down That Many Others Do Also And That Their Circumstances Are Generally Much Worse Than Yours. And It’s Important To Know That When One Of Us Is Down It Becomes The Obligation Of His Friends To Give Him A Lift. I Hope That Each Of Us Will Cultivate A Sensitivity Toward The Feelings Of Others And When Encouragement Is Needed Make An Effort To Extend It. Be A Friend And You Will Have A Friend. God Be Thanked For Wonderful Friends.

Wonderful Friends

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

The Church Expects That Each Of Us Carry A Share Of The Burden Of Leadership. There Is No Paid Clergy. The Work Is Done Because Of A Love Of The Cause. And As People Serve, They Grow In Capacity. The Time And Effort Is Not A Sacrifice Because There Is Returned More Than Is Given.

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

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

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

Believe In Yourselves. Believe In Your Capacity To Do Some Good In This World. God Sent Us Here For A Purpose, And That Was To Improve The World In Which We Live. The Wonderful Thing Is That We Can Do It.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Asking For Forgiveness

I Believe In The Principle That I Can Make A Difference In This World. It May Be Ever So Small, But It Will Count For The Greater Good.

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!

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.

If We Are To Continue To Have The Freedoms That Came Of The Inspiration Of The Almighty To Our Founding Fathers, We Must Return To The God Who Is Their True Author.

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.

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

The Small Day-to-day Decisions Will Determine The Course Of Your Lives.

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.

We Recognize The Universal Power Of Music To Touch The Hearts Of Men And Women Everywhere And In All Generations-to Inspire And Encourage, To Sustain And Lift, To Comfort And Bring Peace.

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.

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.

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.

Try A Little Harder To Be A Little Better.

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

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.

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.

One Of The Bellwether Marks Of The Growth And Vitality Of The Church Is The Construction Of Temples. We Will Keep On Working To Bring The Temples To The People, Making It More Convenient For Latter Day Saints Everywhere To Receive The Blessings Which Can Only Be Had In These Holy Houses.

Christmas Means 'giving,' And The Gift Without The Giver Is Bare. Give Of Yourselves; Give Of Your Substance; Give Of Your Heart And Mind.

Do Not Let Fear Overcome Your Efforts.

The World Is Our Responsibility. We Cannot Evade It.

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.

The Way Of The Lord Is The Way Of Happiness. ‘wickedness Never Was Happiness’ [alma 41:10]. Transgression Never Was Happiness. Sin Never Was Happiness. Disobedience Never Was Happiness. The Way Of Happiness Is Following The Way Of The Lord. I Believe This With All My Heart.

It’s True, Isn’t It? Then What Else Really Matters?

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

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.

I Know Of No Better Answer To The Foul Practices That Confront Our Young People Than The Teachings Of A Mother, Given In Love With An Unmistakable Warning.

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).

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.

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

How Precious Life Is

Life Is Precious

I Am Satisfied That Happiness In Marriage Is Not So Much A Matter Of Romance As It Is An Anxious Concern For The Comfort And Well-being Of One's Companion. Any Man Who Will Make His Wife's Comfort His First Concern Will Stay In Love With Her Throughout Their Lives And Through The Eternity Yet To Come

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

Language Of Love

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.

To Save A Girl Is To Save Generations!

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

God Is Only God When He Is Acting As Such.

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.

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

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.

He Who Is Our Eternal Father Has Blessed You With Miraculous Powers Of Mind And Body. He Never Intended That You Should Be Less Than The Crowning Glory Of His Creations.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

Stay Out Of The Gutter In Your Conversation. Foul Talk Defiles The Man Who Speaks It.

Criticism Is The Forerunner Of Divorce, The Cultivator Of Rebellion, Sometimes An Agent That Leads To Failure.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.'

Be Believing, Be Happy, Don't Get Discouraged. Things Will Work Out.

Criticism Is The Seed Of Divorce, And It Develops Rebellion In Our Young.

Love Is Like The North Star. In A Changing World, It's Always Constant.

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.

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.

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.

Stay Out Of The Gutter In Your Conversation. Foul Talk Defiles The Man Who Speaks It... Don't Swear. Don't Profane. Avoid So-called Dirty Jokes. Stay Away From Conversation That Is Sprinkled With Foul And Filthy Words. You Will Be Happier If You Do So, And Your Example Will Give Strength To Others.

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.

We Live In A World Of Shifting Values. The Family Is Falling Apart. Parents Failing In What They Ought To Do.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

To You Wives Who Are Constantly Complaining And See Only The Dark Side Of Life, And Feel That You Are Unloved And Unwanted, Look Into Your Own Hearts And Minds. If There Is Something Wrong, Turn About. Put A Smile On Your Faces. Make Yourselves More Attractive. Brighten Your Outlook.

What A Marvelous And Wonderful Thing Is #‎ Prayer . Think Of It. We Can Actually Speak With Our Father In #‎ Heaven .

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