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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.

-Gordon B. Hinckley

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We Love Them [people

Gordon B. Hinckley

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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.

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

The Best Medicine For Despair Is Service.

Limitless Is Your Potential. Magnificent Is Your Future.

It Was A Very Limited Practice; Carefully Safeguarded. In 1890, That Practice Was Discontinued.

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

If You Will Make Your First Concern The Comfort, The Well-being, And The Happiness Of Your Companion, Sublimating Any Personal Concern To That Loftier Goal, You Will Be Happy, And Your Marriage Will Go On Through Eternity

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

We Should Also Build The Attitude That There Is Nothing Of A Vacation, Nothing Of A Holiday In This Great Missionary Service. It Is Hard, And At Times Discouraging, Work. Last Year Our Missionaries Averaged Sixty-seven Hours A Week In Actual Proselyting Effort. Let Those Who Contemplate Missions Realize That They Will Work As They Have Never Worked Before, And That They May Expect Such Joy As They Have Not Previously Known.

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

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

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.

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

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

God Will Bless Us If We Walk In Humility.

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.

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.

The Problem Is, I Think, That So Many Of Us Pray As If We Are Ordering Groceries. We Pick Up The Telephone And Say, 'is This The Right Place To Place My Order?' And We Proceed Right To Dictating Our Order. When We Have Then Ended That List, We Hang Up.

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.

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.

We Seldom Get Into Trouble When We Speak Softly. It Is Only When We Raise Our Voices That The Sparks Fly And Tiny Molehills Become Great Mountains Of Contention.

For As Long As (the Founding Fathers Of This Nation) Lived And Led, They Acknowledged The Hand Of The Almighty In The Affairs Of This Republic. Our Coinage And Our Currency Carry The National Motto. It Simply Says, 'in God We Trust.' I Believe This Is The Foundation Upon Which This Nation Was Established, An Unequivocal Trust In The Power Of The Almighty To Guide And Defend Us.

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

Be True To Who You Are

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

We Are All Prone To Brood On The Evil Done Us. That Brooding Becomes As A Gnawing And Destructive Canker. Is There A Virtue More In Need Of Application In Our Time Than The Virtue Of Forgiving And Forgetting? There Are Those Who Would Look Upon This As A Sign Of Weakness. Is It? I Submit That It Takes Neither Strength Nor Intelligence To Brood In Anger Over Wrongs Suffered, To Go Through Life With A Spirit Of Vindictiveness, To Dissipate One’s Abilities In Planning Retribution. There Is No Peace In The Nursing Of A Grudge. There Is No Happiness In Living For The Day When You Can ‘get Even.

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.

God Has Brought Us Together As Families To Bring To Pass His Eternal Purposes. We Are Part Of This Plan In This Marriage Relationship. Let Us Love And Respect And Honor One Another. We Can Do It, And We Will Be The Better For It.

I Condemn Polygamy, Yes, As A Practice, Because I Think It Is Not Doctrinal. It Is Not Legal. And This Church Takes The Position That We Will Abide By The Law.

Polygamists Have No Connection With Us Whatsoever. They Don't Belong To The Church. There Are Actually No Mormon Fundamentalists.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

God Is Only God When He Is Acting As Such.

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 Not Failed Until You Quit Trying.

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

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.

Children Don’t Need Beating. They Need Love And Encouragement. They Need Fathers To Whom They Can Look With Respect Rather Than Fear. Above All, They Need Example.

Love Is The Only Force That Can Erase The Differences Between People, That Can Heal Relationships Shattered By Bitterness....i F The World Is To Be Improved, The Process Of Love Must Make A Change In The Hearts Of Men. It Can Do So When We Look Beyond Self To Give Our Love To God And Others, And Do So With All Our Heart, With All Our Soul, And With All Our Mind.

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

Let Us Not Live A Life … That Would Bring Regret. … It Is Not Going To Matter Very Much How Much Money You Made, What Kind Of A House You Lived In, What Kind Of A Car You Drove, The Size Of Your Bank Account—any Of Those Things. What Is Going To Matter Is That Dear Woman Who Has Walked With You Side By Side As Your Companion Through All Of The Years Of Life And Those Children And Grandchildren And Great-grandchildren And Their Faithfulness And Their Looking To You … With Respect And Love And Deference And Kindness.

Forget Yourself And Go To Work.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

Cultivate Within Yourselves The Mighty Power Of Self-discipline.

Self Discipline

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

Work Will Cure Your Grief. Serve Others.

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!

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.

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

Peace And Happiness

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 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 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.

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

We Are Particularly Proud Of Our Youth. I Think We Have Never Had A Stronger Generation Of Young Men And Women Than We Have Today. For The Most Part They Are True To The Faith Of Their Forebears. Surrounded By Forces That Would Pull Them Down And Tremendous Pressures To Pull Them Away From Time-tested Virtues, They Are Going Forward With Constructive Lives, Nurturing Themselves Both Intellectually And Spiritually. We Have No Fears Or Doubts Concerning The Future Of This Work.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

This Will Be The Most Important Decision Of Your Life, The Individual Whom You Marry.

... 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

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.

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

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.

The Temple Is Concerned With Things Of Immortality. It Is A Bridge Between This Life And The Next. All Of The Ordinances That Take Place In The House Of The Lord Are Expressions Of Our Belief In The Immortality Of The Human Soul.

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

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

Integrity Is At The Heart Of Commerce In The World In Which We Live. Honesty And Integrity Comprise The Very Underpinnings Of Society.....indeed, The Strength And Safety Of Any Organization-including The Family-lie In The Integrity Of Its Members. Without Personal Integrity, There Can Be No Confidence. Without Confidence, There Can Be No Prospect Of Permanent Success.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

Coming Closer To Home, There Is So Much Of Jealousy, Pride, Arrogance, And Carping Criticism; Fathers Who Rise In Anger Over Small, Inconsequential Things And Make Wives Weep And Children Fear.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Do Not Let Fear Overcome Your Efforts.

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.

The World Is Our Responsibility. We Cannot Evade It.

My Plea...is A Plea To Save The Children. Too Many Of Them Walk With Pain And Fear, In Loneliness And Despair. Children Need Sunlight...they Need Kindness And Refreshment And Affection. Every Home, Regardless Of The Cost Of The House, Can Provide An Environment Of Love Which Will Be An Environment Of Salvation.

Every Man Who Truly Loves A Woman, And Every Woman Who Truly Loves A Man, Hopes And Dreams That Their Companionship Will Last Forever. But Marriage Is A Covenant Sealed By Authority. If That Authority Is Of The State Alone, It Will Endure Only While The State Has Jurisdiction, And That Jurisdiction Ends With Death. But Add To The Authority Of The State The Power Of The Endowment Given By Him Who Overcame Death, And That Companionship Will Endure Beyond Life If The Parties To The Marriage Live Worthy Of The Promise.

A Nation Will Rise No Higher Than The Strength Of Its Homes. If You Want To Reform A Nation You Begin With Families.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Love Is Meant To Be An Adventure!!

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

This Cause Will Roll On In Majesty And Power To Fill The Earth. Doors Now Closed To The Preaching Of The Gospel Will Be Opened. The Almighty, If Necessary, May Have To Shake The Nations To Humble Them And Cause Them To Listen To The Servants Of The Living God. Whatever Is Needed Will Come To Pass.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Love Is The Very Essence Of Life. It Is The Pot Of Gold At The End Of The Rainbow. Yet It Is More Than The End Of The Rainbow. Love Is The Security For Which Children Weep, The Yearning Of Youth, The Adhesive That Binds Marriage, And The Lubricant That Prevents Devastating Friction In The Home; It Is The Peace Of Old Age, The Sunlight Of Hope Shinning Through Death.

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

Dishonesty Of Any Kind Will Create A Blemish.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Whatever You Do, Do Well. Be Good At It. Stand A Little Taller. Be A Little Stronger. Be A Little Better.

A Testimony Is A Conviction, A Quiet Inward Certainty Of The Reality Of The Living God, Of The Divinity Of His Beloved Son, Of The Restoration Of Their Work In This Time. It Demands That We Do What He Has Asked Us To Do.

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

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.

To Save A Girl Is To Save Generations!

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

I Am Totally In The Hands Of The Lord.

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.

Love Is The Very Essence Of Life.

I Meet Young People Everywhere Who Are Wonderful And Faithful; Youth Who Want To Do The Right Thing And Who Indicate The Reality Of What I Have Been Saying For A Long Time, That We've Never Had A Better Generation Of Young People In The Church Than We Have Today. They Are Faithful. They Are Active. They're Knowledgeable. They Are A Great Generation, Notwithstanding The Environment In Which Many Of Them Are Growing Up.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Way Of The Gospel Is A Simple Way. Some Of The Requirements May Appear To You As Elementary And Unnecessary. Do Not Spurn Them. Humble Yourselves And Walk In Obedience. I Promise That The Results That Follow Will Be Marvelous To Behold And Satisfying To Experience.

I Have Yet To Find A Faithful Tithe Payer Who Cannot Testify That In A Very Literal And Wonderful Way The Windows Of Heaven Have Been Opened And Blessings Have Been Poured Out Upon Him Or Her.

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.

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

Of All The Creations Of The Almighty, There Is None More Beautiful, None More Inspiring Than A Lovely Daughter Of God Who Walks In Virtue With An Understanding Of Why She Should Do So, Who Honors And Respects Her Body As A Thing Sacred And Divine, Who Cultivates Her Mind And Constantly Enlarges The Horizon Of Her Understanding, Who Nurtures Her Spirit With Everlasting Truth. God Will Hold Us Accountable If We Neglect His Daughters. He Has Given Us A Great And Compelling Trust. May We Be Faithful To That Trust.

Honor And Respect

When Temptation Comes Your Way, Name That Boastful, Deceitful Giant “goliath!” And Do With It As David Did To The Philistine Of Gath.

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

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.

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.

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.

Enjoy Music. Not The Kind That Rocks And Rolls, But The Music Of The Masters, The Music That Has Lived Through The Centuries, The Music That Has Lifted People. If You Do Not Have A Taste For It, Listen To It Thoughtfully. If You Do Not Like It The First Time, Listen To It Again And Keep Listening.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Stand Tall And Be Strong In Defense Of Those Great Virtues Which Have Been The Backbone Of Our Social Progress. When You Are United, Your Power Is Limitless. You Can Accomplish Anything You Wish To Accomplish. -president Gordon B. Hinckley, Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints

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 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.

Do Not Nag Yourself With A Sense Of Failure

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

The Course Of Our Lives Is Not Determined By Great, Awesome Decisions. Our Direction Is Set By The Little Day-to-day Choices Which Chart The Track On Which We Run.

Do Your Best, And Be A Little Better Than You Are.

Self Improvement

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.

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.

You Can Determine The Kind Of Life You Will Have In Your 30s And 40s By What You Do In Your Teens.

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 Greater Blessing That You Can Have Than To Stand As A Proxy In A Great Service To Those Who Have Gone Beyond. And It Will Be Your Privilege And Your Opportunity And Your Responsibility To Live Worthy To Go To The Temple Of The Lord And Be Baptized In Behalf Of Someone Else.

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

A Truly Educated Man Never Ceases To Learn.

Likewise The Piercing Of The Body For Multiple Rings In The Ears, In The Nose, Even In The Tongue. Can They Possibly Think That Is Beautiful? It Is A Passing Fancy, But Its Effects Can Be Permanent. Some Have Gone To Such Extremes That The Ring Had To Be Removed By Surgery. The First Presidency And The Quorum Of The Twelve Have Declared That We Discourage Tattoos And Also “the Piercing Of The Body For Other Than Medical Purposes.” We Do Not, However, Take Any Position “on The Minimal Piercing Of The Ears By Women For One Pair Of Earrings”-one Pair Only.

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.

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.

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.

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