- "Something has gone radically wrong with secularism. The problem has its share of irony, for secularism, in the end, has converted itself into a kind of religion."
- The more what is politically correct seeks to replace what God has declared correct, the more ineffective approaches to human problems there will be.
- Ironically, as some people become harder, they use softer words to describe dark deeds.
- Quiet goodness must persevere.
- Inspired children often show the way through the wilderness.
- Children often have the "thoughts and [the] intents of [their] hearts" focused on the Master. Though not full of years, such children are full of faith!
- "Little children do have words given unto them many times."
- The Prophet Joseph had no role models from whom he could learn how to be a prophet and leader of the Lord's people. He learned from heavenly messengers and from the harvest of his unique spiritual gifts. He had to rely on associates who had no role models either. They struggled and learned together, and the Prophet's growth was extremely rapid.
- When Joseph warned the Saints against mortal imperfections, he did not raise himself above them, and they loved him for it.
- "The Saints need not think because I am familiar with them and am playful and cheerful, that I am ignorant of what is going on. Iniquity of any kind cannot be sustained in the Church, and it will not fare well where I am; for I am determined while I do lead the Church, to lead it right."
- "I am a lover of the cause of Christ and of virtue chastity and an upright steady course of conduct & a holy walk, I despise a hypocrite or a covenant breaker."
- Like most other leader son the frontier, Joseph Smith did not shrink from physical confrontation, and he had the courage of a lion. Once he was kidnapped by two men who held cocked pistols to his head and repeatedly threatened to shoot him if he moved a muscle. The Prophet endured these threats for a time and then snapped back, "Shoot away; I have endured so much persecution and oppression that I am sick of life; why then don't you shoot, and have done with it, instead of talking so much about it?"
- "I never told you I was perfect--but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught."
- It is insufficient to just hear the word of God in gatherings such as this conference. In order to have God's word impact our lives--to receive the promised blessings--we must follow it.
- Would any of us truly do any less than our very best in keeping a covenant or commandment, fulfilling an assignment, or in following Christ if we are truly converted in our hearts?
- "There is much more to be achieved than statistical improvement," President Hinckley said. "More importantly, we should be concerned with the spiritual dimension of our people and the enlargement of this dimension. There is a tendency in all of us to ask for better statistical performance. There is a tendency to impose quotas behind which usually lies imposition of pressure to achieve improved statistics. In the work of the Lord there is a more appropriate motivation than pressure. There is the motivation that comes of true conversion. When there throbs in the heart of an individual Latter-day Saint a great and vital testimony of the truth of this work, he [meaning, of course, men and women] will be found doing his duty in the Church. He will be found in his sacrament meetings. He will be found in his priesthood meetings. He will be found paying his honest tithes and offerings. He will be doing his home teaching. He will be found I attendance at the temple as frequently as his circumstances will permit. He will have within him a great desire to share the Gospel with others. He will be found strengthening and lifting his brethren and sisters. [In other words, he will be committed.] It is conversion that makes the difference."
- Be "doers of the word, and not hearers only."
- "It must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet."
- To blind the eyes is not to see or acknowledge the consequences of our actions. To harden the heart is to ignore or not be willing to accept counsel. To be led into the broad roads is to give in to worldly enticements and lose the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
- "Many think that the Devil has rule and power over both body and spirit. Now, I want to tell you that he does not hold any power over man, only so far as the body overcomes the spirit that is in a man, through yielding to the spirit of evil. ... The spirit is influenced by the body, and the body of the spirit."
- Temptation is like a magnetic force which holds a metal object in its power. It loses its magnetic force and power when you turn away from it. So we must turn away from temptation; then it will lose its power.
- When evil thoughts arise--Stop! Think! Control your mind! Visualize a large EXIT sign in your mind's eye. Immediately change your thoughts. Get off of that avenue of thinking.
- When unrighteous feelings and desires well up inside of you, the Holy Ghost will prompt NO. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Stop! Think! Visualize a WRONG WAY sign in your mind. Immediately change or erase those thoughts leading to wrong unrighteous feelings and evil fantasies that can become addictive to mind and body.
- When tempted to choose an unrighteous act, or entertained unrighteous thoughts, look down the road ahead and contemplate the inevitable consequences of that act. Stop! Think! Visualize a STOP sign in your mind. Put on your mental brakes. Immediately change your thinking to something different and something uplifting.
- To overcome temptation you and I must control our thoughts. Exit from your mind bad thoughts. Stop thoughts that lead to behavior unbecoming to a Latter-day Saint. You do not have to yield to temptation! Discipline what you allow your eyes to see, your ears to hear, your mouth to speak, and your hands to touch.
- Temptation implies an inner struggle to do that which is right.
- "Unless they [individuals] were exposed to temptation they never could know themselves, their own powers, their own weaknesses nor the power of God.
- With each right choice we make, we spiritually empower ourselves. The accumulation of right choices builds inner spiritual strength and divine character. We should expect temptation, for without temptations there would be little education and little character improvement.
- Recalling spiritual feelings reminds us of who we really are.
- Satan wants us to be slow to remember what we have received and heard. He wants us to minimize and even forget the quiet witnesses of the Spirit that have told us who we really are. Part of Satan's evil design is to give our children mistaken ideas of who they are--lies for them to remember.
- Like all of us, our children are subtly and constantly encouraged to believe that life has no sacred purpose and that living selfishly is natural and commendable. Under such influences, children may grow up without understanding that they have a Father in Heaven who loves them, that their bodies are sacred temples, and that obedience brings good and happy feelings.
- One widely recognized expert in helping troubled youth said that the young people who most readily and completely come back after losing their way are those who have a foundation of standards and spirituality to which they can return. They are strengthened by their spiritual memories, and for them, repentance feels like coming home.
- Children come into this world pure and open and eager to learn.
- Parents and teachers, our efforts to help our children establish a heritage of rich spiritual memories are never wasted.
- Far too many people in the world are starving spiritually. Sadly, most of them have no idea where to find real spiritual nourishment. They wander to and fro.
- Life eternal is predicated upon our own individual, personal knowledge of our Father in Heaven and His Holy Son. Simply knowing about them is not enough. We must have personal, spiritual experiences to anchor us. These come through seeking them in the same intense, single-minded way that a hungry person seeks food.
- Feeding the Lord's sheep requires each of us to awaken our interest in others. The duty to invite others to partake of the gospel feast does not rest only on the shoulders of the missionaries. That sober and significant duty belongs to each member of the Church, for "it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor."
- Just as the best meals are home cooked, the most nourishing gospel instruction takes place at home.
- The family is where the foundation of personal, spiritual growth is built and nurtured; the Church, then, is the scaffolding that helps support and strengthen the family. While the Church is secondary to the family in teaching gospel principles, much spiritual learning and growth come through the Church.
- Bishops, if your sacrament meetings are less than a banquet of spiritual nourishment, I urge you to invite suggestions from your ward council, especially the sisters, on ways to make every sacrament meeting a more reverent, spiritual experience. Let the council also help teach our members that the chapel is a special place in our buildings where we come in a spirit of respect for God and reverence for His holy Son. Let the quiet, peaceful promptings of the Holy Spirit abide in our worship services, causing spiritual enlightenment and nourishment to flow into our lives.
- "During these past few years He has become my best friend. I trust Him, and I trust you as His representative. Whatever He wants for me, I am prepared."
- We are so greatly blessed with dedicated musicians in the Church. They add so substantially to the spirit of the conference.
- This choir is one of the great treasures of the Church. I think it is one of the great treasures of America. I regard it as the outstanding choir in all the world. May it continue its great mission of providing lofty and inspiring music at home and abroad. I thank, in behalf of the entire Church, the officers, directors, organists, and members of this dedicated body of talented and gifted musicians who give so generously of their time.
- It (is) better to lean into the stiff wind of opportunity than to simply hunker down and do nothing.
Janette Hales Beckham -Sustaining the Living Prophets
- "The procedure of sustaining is much more than a ritualistic raising of the hand. It is a commitment to uphold, to support, to assist those who have been selected."
- Wouldn't it be nice if there were someone whom I trusted that much--an expert who could take a look at my life and say: "Basically, you're doing great. But if you would just do this one little thing, it would make a big difference?"
- Sometimes my friends want me to be someone else and I don't want to be someone else. I want to be myself, and what I am afraid of is that I might lose them, and I don't want to lose them.
- Don't be discouraged--keep trying until you succeed.
- By having an "overpowering spirit of optimism" and enthusiasm, I could decide to let go of my volleyball experience. I could decide to be positive and optimistic about the many good things in my life: my friendships, my studies, my family. I could play volleyball for fun rather than competition. Suddenly the dilemma that had seemed so overwhelming began to fade. It started to feel better about myself.
- I felt that a prophet was someone I could trust and love, especially if my mother felt that way.
- I want to keep those same feelings for the rest of my life. I want to keep on getting those many blessings.
- "Do you feel gloomy? Life your eyes. Stand on your feet. Sing songs of Christmas. Be positive."
- 'Where there is no vision, the people perish.'
- "The Lord knew I needed to know," she said, "and he knew I would share that witness in the conversion of others."
- Every person has a right to have a personal witness.
- I know that asking for this witness can be a little scary. We worry we just might not get an answer. Or, we know that if we get an answer, we will have to live accordingly!
- We believe in being true. How very important it is to be true to ourselves.
- To be true to ourselves means being an example of righteous living in all situations and circumstances.
- Being true to ourselves means being honest.
- It is imperative that we take advantage of the opportunity to learn.
- I urge each of you young women to get all of the schooling you can get. You will need it for the world into which you will move. Life is becoming so exceedingly competitive.
- The world is changing, and it is so very important that we equip ourselves to move with that change.
- Honesty is the best policy.
- "To thine own self be true, / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man."
- Be true to yourselves, and your respect for yourself will increase.
- Look for the good in those about you, and emphasize that good. Never go around gossiping about your associates or speaking unkind words concerning them. Such words will only backfire to hurt you.
- If they occasionally place restrictions on you, it is because they see danger down the road. Listen to them. What they ask you to do may not be to your liking. but you will be much happier if you do it. Your mother is your best friend. Never forget that.
- I wish that each of you would remember that tonight you heard me say that this Church is true. Other churches also do much good, but this is the "true and living church" of the Lord Jesus Christ, whose name it bears. Be true to it. Cling to it. If you will do so it will become as an anchor in the midst of a stormy sea. It will be a light to your lives and foundation upon which to build them. I give you my solemn testimony that this Church will never be led astray. It is in the hands of God, and should any of its leaders ever attempt to lead it astray, His is the power to remove them.
- We have only one desire, and that is that you be happy, that your lives be challenging and satisfying, that you be saved from pitfalls of evil which could destroy you, that you will be the kind of people who will carry high the torch of eternal truth and hand it on to the generation which will succeed you.
- The truths of this gospel are everlasting and eternal. Philosophies change. Customs change. Culture changes. But with all of these changes, there are gospel fundamentals that have never changed and never will change.
- And while I am speaking of language, may I plead with you young women never to indulge in dirty, sleazy talk of any kind. There is so much of it and it is so common. There is no need to use such language. It only advertises to others that your vocabulary is so deficient that you cannot express yourself without picking words up out of the gutter. Do not do it. Please do not do it. Do not use such filthy language, and do not profane the name of the Lord.
- You are so very important. This work is so much the stronger because of you. Whenever you step over the line in an immoral act or in doing any other evil thing, the Church is that much weaker because of what you have done. When you stand true and faithful, it is that much stronger. Each one of you counts.
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
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