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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.

-Gordon B. Hinckley

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While There May Be

Gordon B. Hinckley

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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.

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There Would Be No Christmas If There Was No Easter.

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.

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

It Is Selfishness Which Is The Cause Of Most Of Our Misery.

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.

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?

A Tattoo Is Graffiti On The Temple Of The Body.

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

Peace And Happiness

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.'

Within Your Sphere Of Responsibility You Have As Serious An Obligation As Do I Within My Sphere Of Responsibility. Each Of Us Should Be Determined To Build The Kingdom Of God On The Earth And To Further The Work Of Righteousness.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

The Remedy For Most Marital Stress Is Not In Divorce. It Is In Repentance And Forgiveness, In Sincere Expressions Of Charity And Service. It Is Not In Separation. It Is In Simple Integrity That Leads A Man And A Woman To Square Up Their Shoulders And Meet Their Obligations. It Is Found In The Golden Rule, A Time-honored Principle That Should First And Foremost Find Expression In Marriage.

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.

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

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.

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

Sacrifice Is The Very Essence Of Religion; ... Without Sacrifice There Is No True Worship Of God.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

You Need More Than Your Own Wisdom In Rearing [your Children]. You Need The Help Of The Lord. Pray For That Help And Follow The Inspiration Which You Receive.

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.

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

There 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.

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

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

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.

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 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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

Truly, My Dear Young Friends, You Are A Chosen Generation. I Hope You Will Never Forget It. I Hope You Will Never Take It For Granted. I Hope There Will Grow In Your Hearts An Overpowering Sense Of Gratitude To God, Who Has Made It Possible For You To Come Upon The Earth In This Marvelous Season Of The World's History.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Life Is To Be Enjoyed, Not Endured

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.

Love Is The Very Essence Of Life.

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

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

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

None Of You Need Worry Because You Read Something That Was Incompletely Reported. You Need Not Worry That I Do Not Understand Some Matters Of Doctrine... I Think I Understand Them Thoroughly.

How Thankful We Ought To Be ... How Thankful We Are, For A Prophet To Counsel Us In Words Of Divine Wisdom As We Walk Our Paths In These Complex And Difficult Times. The Solid Assurance We Carry In Our Hearts, The Conviction That God Will Make His Will Known To His Children Through His Recognized Servant Is The Real Basis Of Our Faith And Activity. We Either Have A Prophet Or We Have Nothing: And Having A Prophet, We Have Everything

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

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.

Every Sacrament Meeting Ought To Be A Spiritual Feast.

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

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.

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

Be True To Who You Are

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

There Is Something Almost Sacred About A Great Library Because It Represents The Preservation Of The Wisdom, The Learning, And The Pondering Of Men And Women Of All The Ages, Accumulated Under One Roof.

Bind To You Friends Of Your Own Kind, Friends Who Will Encourage You, Stand With You, Live As You Desire To Live, Who Will Enjoy The Same Kind Of Entertainment, And Who Will Resist The Evil That You Determine To Resist.

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

Divorce Too Often Is The Bitter Fruit Of Anger. A Man And A Woman Fall In Love, As They Say; Each Is Wonderful In The Sight Of The Other; They Feel Romantic Affection For No One Else; They Stretch Their Finances To Buy A Diamond Ring; They Marry. All Is Bliss-that Is, For A Season. Then Little Inconsequential Activities Lead To Criticism. Little Flaws Are Magnified Into Great Torrents Of Faultfinding; They Fall Apart, They Separate, And Then With Rancor And Bitterness They Divorce.

Falling In Love

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

God Is The Designer Of The Family.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

There Is Rampant Among Us A Spirit Of Criticism. Men And Women Who Carry Heavy Responsibility Do Not Need Criticism, They Need Encouragement.

Cultivate Within Yourselves The Mighty Power Of Self-discipline.

Self Discipline

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

If We Live By The Principles Of The Gospel, We Must Be Good People, For We Will Be Generous And Kind, Thoughtful And Tolerant, Helpful And Outreaching To Those In Distress. We Can Either Subdue The Divine Nature And Hide It So That It Finds No Expression In Our Lives, Or We Can Bring It To The Front And Let It Shine Through All That We Do.

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.

Being Humble Means Recognizing That We Are Not On Earth To See How Important We Can Become, But To See How Much Difference We Can Make In The Lives Of Others

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

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

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

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.

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

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

If Life Gets Too Hard To Stand, Kneel.

When Life Is Hard

Please Don't Nag Yourself With Thoughts Of Failure. Do Not Set Goals Far Beyond Your Capacity To Achieve. Simply Do What You Can Do, In The Best Way You Know, And The Lord Will Accept Of Your Effort.

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).

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

I Spent One Night In The Hospital In My Life. I Was Past 75 When That Occurred.

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

Love Is Meant To Be An Adventure!!

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.

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.

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

... 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

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.

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.

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

God Will Bless Us If We Walk In Humility.

The Best Food Storage Is Not In Welfare Grain Elevators But In Sealed Cans And Bottles In The Homes Of Our People. What A Gratifying Thing It Is To See Cans Of Wheat And Rice And Beans Under The Beds Or In The Pantries Of Women Who Have Taken Welfare Responsibility Into Their Own Hands. Such Food May Not Be Tasty, But It Will Be Nourishing If It Has To Be Used.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

Look For The Sunlight Through The Clouds.

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

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.

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!

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

The Decisions We Make, Individually And Personally, Become The Fabric Of Our Lives. That Fabric Will Be Beautiful Or Ugly According To The Threads Of Which It Is Woven. I Wish To Say Particularly To The Young Men Who Are Here That You Cannot Indulge In Any Unbecoming Behavior Without Injury To The Beauty Of The Fabric Of Your Lives. Immoral Acts Of Any Kind Will Introduce An Ugly Thread. Dishonesty Of Any Kind Will Create A Blemish. Foul And Profane Language Will Rob The Pattern Of Its Beauty.

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

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.

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

Knowledge, Learning, Is An Eternal Thing.

Knowledge Learning

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.

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

Wherever You Are

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.

You Never Know How Much Good You Do.

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.

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

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

Gordon B Hinckley

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Let Us Never Forget To Pray. God Lives. He Is Near. He Is Real. He Is Not Only Aware Of Us But Cares For Us. He Is Our Father. He Is Accessible To All Who Will Seek Him.

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

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

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

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.

Try A Little Harder To Be A Little Better.

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

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

To Save A Girl Is To Save Generations!

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

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

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

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

Miserable People

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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

The World Is Our Responsibility. We Cannot Evade It.

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.

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.

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.

Without Hard Work, Nothing Grows But Weeds.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

If There Be Any Who Nurture In Their Hearts The Poisonous Brew Of Enmity Toward Another, I Plead With You To Ask The Lord For Strength To Forgive. This Expression Of Desire Will Be Of The Very Substance Of Your Repentance. It May Not Be Easy, And It May Not Come Quickly. But If You Will Seek It With Sincerity And Cultivate It, It Will Come. And Even Though He Whom You Have Forgiven Continues To Pursue And Threaten You, You Will Know You Have Done What You Could To Effect A Reconciliation. There Will Come Into Your Heart A Peace Otherwise Unattainable.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

The Best Cure For Weariness Is The Challenge Of Helping Someone Who Is Even More Tired.

Helping Someone

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

Asking For Forgiveness

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.

Do Not Nag Yourself With A Sense Of Failure

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.

God Is Only God When He Is Acting As Such.

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.

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.

You Have Not Failed Until You Quit Trying.

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

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.

You Don't Need Coffee. Nobody Needs Coffee. You Can Get Along Without It.

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

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

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