- An individual or a team must be prepared. Success or achievement depends upon preparation.
- People of great faith know what is right and do it. They have uncompromised determination and commitment and are capable of enduring pressure or hardship.
- "Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is ... words that speak boldly of your intentions; and ... actions which speak louder than ... words. It is ... coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. It is what character is made of."
- You are beginning to develop a sensitivity for Christlike service to others that brings joy to one's soul.
- We have our agency to choose right from wrong, good from evil. But just because evil exists does not mean that we must partake of it. You cannot do wrong and feel right.
- You young men are the protectors of your sisters and of the girls with whom you associate.
- Good people believe in you. We believe in you, your parents and brothers and sisters believe in you, and God expects the best from you. You must believe in yourself.
- Don't give in when the going is rough, for you are laying the foundation of a great work, and that great work i your life, the fulfillment of your dreams. Never underestimate what you can become or how your talents may eventually be used.
- Do others set your standards--what you will wear and what you will do--and not do?
- Our actions, our personal behavior, and our attitude determine our character and future.
- The world needs someone to look up to--like you.
- "There comes a time when we must take a stand--when we draw a line in the dust and say, 'Beyond this line, we do not go.'"
- Change bad behavior to good--and do it now.
- "I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves."
- "It is easy to be a Mormon and accept the theology. It is difficult to be a Christian and follow Christ in word and deed."
- If Jesus' teachings were widely followed, [you] would have no hesitation in placing Jesus first!
- "Where do we rank Jesus Christ in our lives? Does He come first, as He should?" Perhaps a more significant question would be, "Where would we rank ourselves as followers of Jesus' teachings?" Do we live as Christians in word and deed?
- "Every morning I tell the good Lord that if there is anyone in need of my help today, please guide me to them."
- Perhaps the greatest of Christian acts are those we never hear about. They are deeds done quietly, spontaneously, anonymously, without expectation of recognition or compensation. Christian acts begin with Christlike thoughts in our hearts. Then, Christ's teachings and His characteristics will be reflected naturally in our actions. Soon, there will be more friendly smiles, more kindly words, more courteous responses from us--all seemingly small, insignificant acts, yet they can have a great impact in all our lives. President Rex Lee of BYU has said, "Christlike niceness is ... the cornerstone of [Christ's] teachings."
- Sometimes we are asked to give more than we feel we are capable of giving or more than we really want to give. We may feel burdened with expectations and responsibilities. It is then we learn that following Christ also requires sacrifice, commitment, and courage.
- When we place Jesus first in our lives, He will guide our decisions and give us the strength to avoid temptations.
- Such actions will provide us and those we serve with spiritual strength to endure.
- Your mission will be exactly what you decide to make it.
- Your young but strong shoulders bear the responsibility of the call you willingly and happily accepted.
- Make the inevitable challenges of missionary work steppingstones for your own spiritual growth. Determine now that nothing will keep you from magnifying with honor your missionary call.
- There is no way a successful missionary can have one foot in the world and one in his missionary labors.
- Resist bringing extra luggage with you into the mission field, both in your suitcase and in your mind.
- If we would learn to be silent, the Brethren could teach us a lot.
- A person who can be taught is also one who can be trusted.
- Make the scriptures the basic doctrinal textbook of your mission.
- The real success of a mission is not measured on a chart--it is etched in your heart and in the hearts of those whose lives are eternally changed because of you.
- Love every minute of your service.
- No one goes back without His help.
- What good will a covenant do (I agree to do something), or an ordinance (I hereby sign the agreement) if you ultimately don't comply with it?
- Baptism puts us on the starting line--the starting line of that road that will take us back to His presence.
- Brethren, we too have been called to follow Him as fishers of men, laborers in the vineyard to build boys and mend men and bring all unto Christ.
- Calls to serve are to be preceded by careful thought and earnest prayer.
- "Now, brethren, if the good Lord wanted to put a forty-year-old head on a nineteen-year-old boy, he would have done so. But He didn't. He placed a nineteen-year-old head on a nineteen-year-old body, and we should be a bit more understanding."
- Youth need fewer critics and more models to follow.
- No participant in Church-sponsored athletic contests should warm the bench for the entire game.
- At times your tasks may seem overwhelming, and discouragement may creep into your lives. Our Heavenly Father has inspired your call and desires that you succeed.
- Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.
- "I love you. I don't know when, or if, I'll be back; but I love the gospel, and I must follow my Savior."
- Our relationship was sometimes sweet and sometimes difficult. Things were never perfect because I am not a perfect woman and he is not a perfect man, but many things were good. I did not expect perfection, I just kept trying.
- Please remind the brethren that the physical and verbal abuse of women is INEXCUSABLE, NEVER ACCEPTABLE, AND A COWARDLY WAY OF DEALING WITH DIFFERENCES.
- 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. In every marriage there are, of course, occasional differences. But I find no justification for tempers that explode on the slightest provocation.
- A violent temper is such a terrible, corrosive thing. And the tragedy is that it accomplishes no good; it only feeds evil with resentment and rebellion and pain.
- You may think it is the macho thing to flare up in anger and swear and profane the name of thew Lord. It is not the macho thing. It is an indication of weakness. Anger is not an expression of strength. It is an indication of one's inability to control his thoughts, words, his emotions. Of course it is easy to get angry. When the weakness of anger takes over, the strength of reason leaves. Cultivate within yourselves the mighty power of self-discipline.
- In its purest form, truth is not a polite tap on the shoulder. It is a howling reproach.
- Altogether too many men, leaving their wives at home in the morning and going to work, where they find attractively dressed and attractively made-up young women, regard themselves as young and handsome, and as an irresistible catch. They complain that their wives do not look the same as they did twenty ears ago when they married them. To which I say, Who would, after living with you for twenty years?
- The complaint of a husband, after eighteen years of marriage and five children, that he no longer loves his wife is, in my judgement, a feeble excuse for the violation of covenants made before God and also the evasion of the responsibilities that are the very strength of the society of which we are a part. The finding of fault with consequent divorce is usually preceded by a long period in which little mistakes are spoken of in harsh and angry language, where tiny molehills of difference grow into great mountains of conflict. I am satisfied that the more unkindly a wife is treated, the less attractive she becomes. She loses pride in herself. She develops a feeling of worthlessness. Of course it shows.
- A husband who domineers his wife, who demeans and humiliates her, and who makes officious demands upon her not only injures her, but he also belittles himself. And in many cases, he plants a pattern of future similar behavior in his sons.
- It takes effort. It takes self-control. It takes unselfishness. It requires the true essence of love, which is an anxious concern for the well-being and happiness of one's companion.
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
