GEORGE ALBERT SMITH
8th President of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(May 21, 1945 – April 4, 1951)

President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (June 21, 1943 – May 21, 1945)
Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (October 8, 1903 – May 21, 1945)

General Conference Addresses

  • October 1950 General Conference
    • Liberty under the Constitution
      • “What a privilege it is to worship the Lord and to do it in the way he has indicated. There are some people who are members of the Church—their names are on the record, and they have an idea that that is all that is necessary—but the time will come when they will have to face their record, and their admission into the celestial kingdom will be conditioned upon the way they have observed the advice of our Heavenly Father right here upon earth. How grateful we ought to be, not to be uncertain as to where we are going.”
      • “I had a man say to me one day after I had taught the gospel to him for an hour or so on a train, “I’d give a lot to have the assurance that you have.” And I replied: ”You do not have to give anything to have the assurance that I have except to keep the commandments of the Lord. If you do that, you will know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is on earth. You will know that the authority of the priesthood is on earth.” How beautiful it is to realize that men who are worthy may receive that priesthood, and in the authority that is given them, do so many thinks that are a blessing to our Father’s other children.”
      • “As one man said to me, “Why not try what Russia has tried and Germany has tried?” And my answer to him was, “Why try something that has already failed? Why not hold on to what the Lord has given?” The Constitution of the United States was written, it is true, by men, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and others who were their associates, but we have in this book that I have in my hand, the book of Doctrine and Covenants, a revelation in which the Lord tells us that the Constitution of the United States was prepared by men raised up by him for this very purpose. As Latter-day Saints we ought to know that there is nothing better anywhere else. And so we should cleave to the Constitution of the United States and in doing so, earn the blessings of our Heavenly Father.”
    • It Becometh Us to Fulfil All Righteousness
      • “Brethren and sisters, we have all the information that our Christian brothers and sisters do with regard to the life of the Savior in the Bible, and in addition to that, we have the story of his coming to the people on this western hemisphere, as recorded in the Book of Mormon. And when he came among them, he talked to them as he had to those in the old world. When he was ready to leave them, he blessed them, he healed their sick and took their children up in his arms and wept over them. And after being with them two or three days, coming and going, they saw him ascend into heaven.”
    • In Priesthood Session
      • “That is a large contract that we have. Each of us has the responsibility. We may begin by training our boys and girls at home so that they know what the Gospel is and then when opportunity comes they will be able to share it with others.”
  • April 1950 General Conference
    • The Pathway of Righteousness
      • “I cannot understand how people can be other than happy under all these circumstances. Think of our opportunities. There is not a desirable blessing, and all blessings are desirable, that we may wish to have that we may not enjoy if we are faithful to God and honor our membership in his Church. He has promised us that all things will come to us if we are righteous.”
    • Regarding Indians
      • “I pray the Lord to bless us that we may be worthy because of our lives to keep this testimony, that not only we, but all we can reach may receive that witness and carry it to our brothers and sisters of all races and creeds, and particularly to the descendants of Lehi, until we have done our duty by them.”
    • Priesthood Address
      • “Love is the great power to influence this world, and if we do not find more love in the world soon, if people do not get together better than they are, then, as you have already been told, the predictions that are in the scriptures will be fulfilled.”
    • Closing Address
      • “None of us are secure except we keep the commandments of our Heavenly Father. The pathway of righteousness is the highway of happiness. There is no other way to happiness.”
      • “Let us renew our determination to honor God and keep his commandments, to love one another, to make our homes the abiding place of peace. Each of us can contribute to that in the homes in which we live.”
  • October 1949 General Conference
    • Our Father’s Work
      • “Just think of our privileges and our blessings. Think down through the ages of the multitudes of wars and destructions that have wiped people out in many parts of the world and entirely obliterated nations, and yet for some reason or another there are many good people who, like Nathanael, cannot believe the truth.”
      • “Someone has said of the people of the world that they would rather believe a lie and be damned than accept the truth. That is rather a severe statement, but I think perhaps it will bear acceptance as fact. There is nothing in the world more deleterious or harmful to the human family than hatred, prejudice, suspicion, and the attitude that some people have toward their fellows, of unkindness.”
    • Welfare Program, a Wonderful Thing
      • “As a people we are advised not to be critical, not to be unkind, not to speak harshly of those with whom we associate. We ought to be the greatest exemplars in all the world in that regard. Consider the criticism today. Pick up your newspapers and see the unkind things that are being said by individuals about others, and yet many times the individual who is criticizing has a beam in his own eye and does not see at all clearly, but he does think his brother has a mote in his eye.”
      • “I hope we are not going to become bitter because some men and women are well-to-do. If we are well-to-do, I hope we are not going to be self-centered and unconscious of the needs of our Father’s other children. If we are better off than they are, we ought to be real brothers and sisters, not make-believe. Our desires should be to develop in this world such an organization that others, seeing our good works would be constrained to glorify the name of our Heavenly Father.”
  • April 1949 General Conference
    • From a Prophet to His People
      • “This is the Church of Jesus Christ. Millions of our Father’s children do not know anything about it, but they are his children just the same, and he expects us to do our very best. Since the close of the war, we have had as many as five thousand missionaries in the world. Many of them have done wonderful work. They have found the hearts of people softened and ready to hear the message.”
    • Second Address
      • “We have a great responsibility resting upon us in the various positions we occupy, I say to you men who are in this audience, who are elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and who have no official position, the Lord expects just as much from you, If you expect your blessings in the hereafter, you will have to earn them in the same way that the men who are ward and stake and General authorities are earning theirs.”
    • Concluding Address
      • “These scriptures are available to all. You have been told that there are thousands of your sons and daughters in the world now, seeking to share with our Father’s other children the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ before it is too late. We are coming dangerously near to a time when our Heavenly Father will withdraw his spirit from the world because the people of the world will not accept it.”
      • “Men, do you appreciate your wives? Wives, do you love and appreciate your husbands? Parents, do you appreciate your children? Children, do you love and appreciate your parents? If we do, then we will love one another, and there will be peace and happiness in our lives and in our communities, and our homes will be the abiding place of the Spirit of God.”
    • Discourse to the Priesthood
      • “Keep the commandments of the Lord, brethren, and you will not wander away into darkness. There is not any time that you may not kneel down, and if you can honestly say, “Heavenly Father, I have done what you have asked me to do, and what you have directed me to do; what shall I do now?” You will get the answer, and you will not be mistaken. But if you do the things that ought not to be done and get your suggestions from the adversary of all righteousness, you will find yourself wandering in darkness and you may lose the pearl of great price.”
      • “I want to say that the priesthood does not give any man a right to abuse his wife. The priesthood does give him a right to be kind, to be faithful, to be honorable, to teach the truth and to teach his children the truth, and when he does that he will not fall away into sin. There never has been a time in the history of the world when we have needed divine guidance more than now.”
      • “We will not always see alike; men will not always reason as their wives do and vice versa, but if you will pray together, with a real desire to be united, I can say to you, you will agree on all important matters.”
      • “We are not any of us becoming any younger. A good many of us have passed the meridian of life. If we are going to make any corrections, any adjustments, and most of us need to make adjustments, the time to do it is now, not put it off for the future.”
  • October 1948 General Conference
    • What the Lord Has Done
      • “It is glorious to live in this part of the world. I might say it is glorious to live in this age of the world notwithstanding the sorrow and distress and uncertainty that exist. We have received an assurance that our Heavenly Father is mindful of us if we will be faithful. We have no promise that he will care for us on any other terms, but he has said that if we will honor him and keep his commandments, he will watch over us and protect and bless us. I think of that lovely audience that I saw here yesterday, all our sisters, and now this morning there is a great mixed audience apparently mostly men. Yet we are only a small portion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that has become identified with the Church of the Lamb of God since the year 1830. It is marvelous, my brothers and sisters, what the Lord has done—and he has done it.”
    • Concluding Address
      • “I am not concerned whether or not you have the books of the great libraries of the world in your home, provided you do have these books. Think of the millions of volumes that there are in our own Congressional Library at Washington, in the British Library, and in the libraries of other countries, millions of volumes—and yet all that God has revealed and published to the children of men that is necessary to prepare them for a place in the celestial kingdom is contained within the covers of these sacred books. How many of us know what they contain? I frequently go into homes where I see all the latest magazines. I find the books that are advertised as best sellers on the bookshelves. If you were to throw them all away and retain only these sacred scriptures, you wouldn’t lose what the Lord has caused to be written and made available for us all to enjoy. So, brethren and sisters, among our other blessings let us not forget that the Lord has made it possible for us to have, enjoy, and understand the scriptures and to have his word that has been given down through the ages for the salvation of his children.”
      • “Now, fathers and mothers, appreciate your children. Don’t turn them over to somebody else to train and educate in regard to matters of eternal life. That is your privilege, and it is a privilege. Teach them to pray and walk uprightly before the Lord and then in time of need they can go to him, and he will answer their prayers. It will be astonishing to you the great happiness that will come into your home that you theretofore have not enjoyed, if you will follow this counsel.”
    • Priesthood Session Address
      • “Imagine after ten years, but they have raised a crop in that valley ever since. These things are not accidents, my brethren. The authority of the priesthood, properly exercised, brings to our minds the fact that we are not very far from the Lord and he is all-powerful and he is all-merciful. If we repent of our foolishness and turn to him, he will hear and answer our prayers.”
  • April 1948 General Conference
    • Counsel and Encouragement
      • “The first Sunday after they arrived, they held religious services. The fact that they were uncomfortable; that they had no homes to shelter them, made no difference. They were in the service of the Lord. They were his children, and so they were called together as has been the custom ever since the beginning, on the Sabbath day, to worship our Father in heaven.”
    • Keep the Commandments
      • “This is his Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I sometimes feel disappointed that so many of us seem to be timid, if I may use that term, and give this Church that the Lord has permitted us to be identified with rather a casual reference. I am so proud of membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, when I think that all the blessings of the world may be mine as a member of his Church, and if I were not a member how many blessings there may be lost for me. Think of the wonderful people in the world and in all these various churches. I want to tell you that there are thousands of them, I think I would be safe in saying millions of them who, if they knew what we know and had the testimony that God has given to us, wouldn’t hesitate to join the Church. They would be afraid not to take advantage of the opportunities that he has given to us. In this wonderful conference where we have been assembled the past three days, think how we have mingled together. I have shaken hands with people all the way from Australia, to Portland, Maine, and from Europe to Hawaii, who have come here, happy to make these long journeys, delighted to be permitted to associate and to shake hands with the membership of this Church.”
    • In Danger of Anti-Christs
      • “I want to say to you today, that the largest portion of the population of the world that we live in is anti-Christ, not the followers of Christ at all. And among those who claim to believe in Christianity, comparatively few of them really believe in the divine mission of Jesus Christ. Well, what is the result? People have turned away from the Lord and He cannot bless them when they refuse to be blessed. Our Heavenly Father has said to His children, all down through the ages, “If you will follow Me and keep My commandments, the fullness of the earth shall be yours.” That has been His promise, and it has been fulfilled, notwithstanding that selfishness and immorality and other sins creep into the hearts of individuals, and they turn away from the Lord.”
      • “In our own country we are in danger of anti-Christs; we are in danger of those who prefer to have their own way regardless of whether it is right or wrong. And I want to say that there are in our own community men and women who are looking with toleration and with some anxiety that we do not say anything unkind about those people across the sea who are just as wicked as they can be. It is not our business to criticize them. But it is our business to see that they do not bring into our community the policies and falsehoods and wickedness that control them in their own land.”
      • “The newspapers give us a little information now and again—not very much. And there comes in through the mails, to many of us, magazines of various kinds. I wonder if we are paying attention to what is going on, as a people, and realizing that if we do not prevent anti-Christs from controlling our Government of the United States, we have got to take a stand on the side of the Savior. We cannot be on the other side of the fence.”
      • “Now, we have had information and instruction that no other people in the world have had. We know that God lives. We know that Jesus is the Christ. We know that the Gospel is upon the earth, but the other people do not know that and are in the hands of the adversary. If they only had the understanding that we have, that God lives and that we are all His children and that we will be judged by our works here in this earth and by our lives, probably they would feel different, but they do not seem to know that. And on the contrary, there is bitterness and hatred in their hearts, for one another, and it is not a question of whether it is right or wrong; it is a question of which one has the most power.”
      • “Brethren, be kind to your wives. I hope that there is no man here who has married one of the daughters of God—and He loves them, they are His daughters—who is not willing to willing to do by her as he knows the Lord would have him do. Do not make her just a convenience’ in the home to do the slavery and to gratify his appetites—that is not what women were given to men, as wives, for—and I want to say to you that it is your duty and your privilege, as men who hold the Priesthood, to honor your wives and your children if you expect them to honor you. Unless you honor them, God will not be pleased with you.”
  • October 1947 General Conference
    • The Growth of the Church
      • “So this morning, brothers and sisters, we have much to be grateful for. Thanksgiving should fill our hearts. Here we are in this house that has been utilized now many, many years. I was in it myself in 1875; I was a little child then and used to play around here on the great stones that were piled on this block when the temple was being built. Now they all have been finished and laid in place. The great organ was constructed and there have been hundreds of thousands of people worship God in this building under the influence of the spirit of our Heavenly Father.”
    • Closing Address
      • “God has been good to us. No people in the world have more reason to be grateful than we. Here under the shelter of this roof we can well pour out our souls to him who is the Author of our being and remember with love those, who under his watchcare, made it possible for us to enjoy the things that we now have.”
      • “As President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I say we do not condone it. We desire our people to obey the law of the land in reference to marriage. If you hear anybody say that the leadership of the Church is not in harmony with the Manifesto of Wilford Woodruff as sustained by the Church, then you may know that he is mistaken.”
  • April 1947 General Conference
    • Opening Address
      • “We are here this morning not to see and be seen, but we are here to worship, and there will address us from this stand a group of men whose lives are devoted to disseminating the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this audience there are hundreds who have filled missions, have been away from home for a term of years, at their own expense or the expense of their loved ones, to divide the gospel of Jesus Christ with our Father’s other children. I would like to have all those who have filled missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outside the states in which they live, raise their hands. Thank you.”
  • October 1946 General Conference
    • Dissemination of the Gospel
      • “That is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to labor without a salary, to labor without the comforts that we sometimes have at home, but to labor for the salvation of the human family, to bring our Fathers other children to a knowledge of the truth. The great reward that missionaries expect as the result of these years of service is to have the companionship of these men and women that they have brought into the Church in the world, the companionship of their own families that they love, right here upon this earth throughout the ages of eternity.”
    • Closing Address
      • “I hope that the membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be among those most anxious and most willing to lend their efforts to preserve life. It is very precious. We have only one life, and if we keep the commandments of God and live as we should, it will be an eternal life of happiness. That is the blessing which comes to us from the gospel.”
      • “I fear that the time is coming, unless we can find some way not only to prevent the destruction of human life by careless accidents, but also unless we can call the people of this world to repent of their sins and turn from the error of their ways, that the great war that has just passed will be an insignificant thing, as far as calamity is concerned, compared to that which is before us. And we can avoid it if we will; if we will each do our part, it can be prevented.”
      • “This world is in for a housecleaning unless the sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father repent of their sins and turn to him. And that means the Latter-day Saints, or the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, along with all the rest, but we, first of all, ought to be setting the example.”
  • April 1946 General Conference
    • Our Blessings and Privileges
      • “What a comfort it is to realize that there is no mistake about it, that we are the children of our Heavenly Father, that he does love us, and because of his anxiety for our peace and welfare, in our day, sent another prophet to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ and to place in the Church divine authority, that men, as of ancient times, may hold the priesthood and officiate in the ordinances of the gospel of our Lord. No other people have that assurance as we have it. I do not say boastfully, but gratefully, that we know there is a God in heaven, that he is our Father, that he does interest himself in our affairs, and he has done that ever since the world began, when his first children were placed upon the earth.”
    • Value of Testimony
      • “I know that it will not be very long before my work will be finished, in the natural course of events. I have had many experiences and have traveled in the world and mingled with many wonderful men and women, and I would like to say that I learned when I was a boy that this is the work of the Lord. I learned that there were prophets living upon the earth. I learned that the inspiration of the Almighty would influence those who lived to enjoy it, so we are not dependent upon one or two or a half dozen individuals. There are thousands of members of this Church who know—it is not a question of imagination at all-they know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ and that we are the children of God. He is the Father of our spirits. We have not come from some lower form of life, but God is the Father of our spirits, and we belong to the royal family, because he is our Father.”
      • “We talk about the philosophies of men and hold them up sometimes as a pretty picture, but when they conflict with the teachings of our Heavenly Father as contained in Holy Writ, they are valueless. They will never lead anybody into eternal happiness, nor help him to find a place in the kingdom of our Heavenly Father. We cannot retain that testimony unless we keep the commandments of God. A knowledge of truth will not remain with us unless we live as our Heavenly Father desires and advises us to live.”
      • “There are in this Church thousands of men and women who are capable of teaching the gospel and who can become more capable by doing their duty in the mission field. They will be blessed with means, sufficient to take them to perform the work that the Lord wants us to perform. I would like to say to the men who would retain their means in preference to laying up treasures in heaven, their wealth will decay in their hands, and their opportunity to gain eternal life in the celestial kingdom will pass them by.”
    • Concluding Address
      • “I am glad that I belong to a Church that has produced such men and women as this Church has produced. I have traveled approximately a million miles in the world in the interest of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have been in many climes and in many lands and in many nations, and I have never seen any place that I thought was as rich in the sweet companionships of life as I have found in the valleys of these grand mountains and in the organizations of the Church established in other parts of the world. It is a wonderful thing to have such friendships of good, true, honorable, sweet, faithful men and women. I have often said no man in the world has been more blessed than I. From my childhood, ever since I can remember, I have never been compelled to associate with evil individuals. I have been fortunate in having my life so adjusted that I could choose the very finest men and women that could be found in the world to be my companions. This has enriched my life, and I am grateful.”
  • October 1945 General Conference
    • Obedience Brings Blessings to the Church and to Individuals
      • “How blessed we are in this house, sanctified to God by the teachings that have been given here by righteous men and women. Here we are today, not as a conglomerate community, but as a band of brothers and sisters, worshiping at the same shrine, praying to the same God, living the same gospel, keeping our homes under the supervision of the same spirit. I don’t know how any one of us can enjoy these blessings without having his feelings exalted and from the depths of his soul thank him who bestows upon us all our blessings.”
    • Incidents from Missionary Life
      • “All safety, all righteousness, all happiness are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you are keeping the commandments of God by observing the Sabbath day, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you attend to your secret prayers and your family prayers, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you are grateful for food and express that gratitude to God, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you love your neighbor as yourself, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you are honest in your dealing with your fellow men, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. If you observe the Word of Wisdom, you are on the Lord’s side of the line. And so I might go on through the Ten Commandments and the other commandments that God has given for our guidance and say again, all that enriches our lives and makes us happy and prepares us for eternal joy is on the Lord’s side of the line. Finding fault with the things that God has given to us for our guidance is not on the Lord’s side of the line. Setting one’s self up as a receiver of dreams and visions to guide the human family is not on the Lord’s side of the line; and when men, as they have sometimes done in order to win their success along some line or another, have come to an individual or individuals and said, “I have had this dream and this is what the Lord wants us to do,” you may know that they are not on the Lord’s side of the line. The dreams and visions and revelations of God to the children of men have always come through his regularly appointed servant. You may have dreams and manifestations for your own comfort and for your own satisfaction, but you will not have them for the Church unless God appoints you to take the place that he gave to his prophets of old and in our day, and unless you have been divinely commissioned to do the thing he wants you to do.”
    • Closing Address
      • “I would like to suggest to you, my brothers and sisters, that we honor the name of the Church. It is not the church of James and John, it is not the church of Moroni, nor is it the church of Mormon. It is the Church of Jesus Christ. And while all these men were wonderful and notable characters, we have been directed to worship God in a church that bears the name of his Beloved Son. I wish that our young people as they grow up would keep that fact in mind. We have become so accustomed to being called the Mormon Church by all our friends and neighbors throughout the world, that many people do not know the proper name of the Church, and I think the Lord would expect us to let them know that.”
      • “There are some people who have supposed that if we are quickened telestial bodies that eventually, throughout the ages of eternity, we will continue to progress until we will find our place in the celestial kingdom, but the scriptures and revelations of God have said that those who are quickened telestial bodies cannot come where God and Christ dwell, worlds without end.”
  • April 1945 General Conference
    • The Origin of Man and Prophecy Fulfilled
      • “Jerusalem and Babylon, warned by the Lord’s servants that they must repent of their wickedness or they would be punished, defiantly refused, and destruction followed. Other cities and nations have become rich, powerful, and wicked, and have passed into oblivion. As we look back at these happenings do we fail to realize that today the world is reaping a harvest of sorrow and destruction because of the iniquity of its inhabitants?”
  • October 1944 General Conference
    • True to the Faith
      • “From my mother’s knee I have been taught that this body of mine should be kept sacred, as the tabernacle of an immortal spirit. I was taught when I was a child that to be clean in my living was most important. In fact,” I said, “upon one occasion my father called me to him when I was just a young man, and he said, ‘My son, I have something I want to say to you.'” And I said to the bishop: “I loved my father; I almost worshipped him, and anything that he said to me sank deep into my soul. He said, ‘My son, there are reports of evil in the community; bad men and bad women are coming in from different parts of the country, one or two at a time. I hope that you will avoid them, but if by any chance any wicked man were to enter into our home and attempt to take the virtue of your mother or your sister I want you to know from your father that I would expect you to defend that virtue with your life. Then,’ he said, ‘that is not all. I lay the same obligation upon you with reference to every other man’s wife and daughter.'”
      • “It is regrettable that in the world today in many cases men do not appreciate that this temple of the body is sacred and should be so held, that this body of ours was given to us as a tabernacle for the spirit while we are here in mortality, but that the spirit that is in this tabernacle came from God. He is the Father of it. If men realized that, how much more careful they would be to protect this tabernacle and keep it wholesome and delightful.”
      • “Today I am thinking of the need not only of prayer, not only of faith—the world is teaching that, too—but I am thinking of the need, the sublime need, if I may use that term, of repentance from the things of the world and the turning away from the temptations that afflict mankind.”
  • April 1944 General Conference
    • The Foundations of Happiness
      • “I should like to read just a part of those commandments, at least, and call attention to the fact, that from the beginning of time, so far as this earth was concerned, when it was populated, our Heavenly Father has been advising his children what to do, in order that they might be happy. He has never counseled them to do anything that would make them unhappy. He has offered a premium of eternal happiness to those who will live in mortality according to His advice and counsel.”
      • “Today in the midst of the confusion that exists in the world, let us not follow the adversary who would lead us into by-paths. Rather let us plant our feet upon the highway that leads to happiness and the celestial kingdom, not just occasionally, but every day, and every hour, because if we will stay on the Lord’s Side of the line, if we will remain under the influence of our Heavenly Father, the adversary cannot even tempt us. But if we go into the devil’s territory where drinking, smoking, carousing, immorality, lying and stealing predominate, we will be unhappy and that unhappiness will increase as the years go by, unless we repent of our sins and turn to the Lord.”
  • October 1943 General Conference
    • A Special Destiny
      • “We have a special destiny if we live for it. That destiny is to live here upon this earth when it becomes the Celestial Kingdom, where God our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ will be our King and our Lawgiver. We know these things, and the world does not know them. So it is not sufficient that we are doing as well as most of the people in the nation. Unless we are keeping the commandments of God and living worthy of the blessings of our Heavenly Father, we will not receive those blessings.”
      • “There are thousands of people who would walk any distance they were able, in order that they might see the face and touch the hand of the Prophet of the Lord, and yet there are many of our own people who disregard his council. From this very stand he pleaded with us not to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment to the constitution of the United States. He didn’t speak as Heber J. Grant, the man. He spoke as the President of the Church and the representative of our Heavenly Father. And yet in a state where we could have retained what we had, there were enough Latter-day Saints, so-called (some of them hold positions in the Church, or did at that time), who paid no attention to what the Lord wanted, ignored what He had said through his prophet, and what is the result? Such delinquency as we have never known is in our own community today, and the sons and daughters and grandchildren, and in many cases the fathers and mothers, who defied the advice of our Heavenly Father and said “We will do as we please,” are paying the penalty and will continue to do so until they turn away from their foolishness and desire with all their hearts to do what our Heavenly Father desires us to do.”
  • April 1943 General Conference
    • Righteousness and Gratitude
      • “So I want to say to this group of Priesthood tonight, praying is one thing and prayers are important, but living is the thing that will bring us power with our Heavenly Father. Living the gospel of Jesus Christ will give us influence with our fellows among the children of men. Keeping the commandments of God will give us strength and assurance that not anything else can give us.”
      • “If there ever was a time when we needed to be kind, it is now. If there ever was a time when we needed to be patient, it is now, and if we would keep one of the commandments of God that He said was second to the greatest, we will love our neighbors as ourselves.”
  • October 1942 General Conference
    • True to the Faith
      • “I am thankful for my membership in this, the Church of Jesus Christ. I think that nobody could be more thankful than I or more grateful for parents and grandparents who were faithful Latter-day Saints. We must not forget that when we see all the richness of our lives we can’t separate it from the righteousness of our mothers.”
  • April 1942 General Conference
    • Upholding the Hands of Our Leaders
      • “He has given rules to govern it and made them so plain that a wayfaring man, though a fool, need not err in following His teachings; yet there have been those in the Church who have failed, who have fallen by the wayside, who have come under the power of the adversary and, surrendered to, evil. But those who have kept the commandments of God, those who have stood in the places to which they have been called, those who have been the leaders in Israel from the beginning, who have kept the faith, have been magnified, honored, and sustained by our Heavenly Father until the time came for them to return to their Maker.”
      • “Brethren, it is no trifling affair. You cannot neglect the business of the Church, as the presiding officers of the stakes of Zion, and expect the Lord to carry on. He desires to do it through you. You have been given divine authority. It comes through only one source and that is our Heavenly Father. He will expect each of us wherever we go, when this conference is completed, to hold the banner of righteousness aloft and teach by example as well as precept those to whom we minister, the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord.”
      • “Brethren, let us not think that this Church will go on just as well if we fail. The Church as a whole will, but I want to say to you that the department we are expected to direct will not go forward as long as we stand in the way, so let us adjust ourselves if necessary. Let us live so that every night when we kneel to pray and every morning when we bow before the Lord in thanksgiving, there will be in us the power to open the heavens so that God will hear and answer our prayers that we will know that we are approved of Him. We can do that, brethren, better than we have ever done before. If there ever was a time when it was needed, it is this particular period in which we are living.”
  • October 1941 General Conference
    • Absorbs all Truth
      • “Is it not wonderful to belong to a Church that absorbs everything that is praiseworthy? Every good thing is a part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is His Church. He directed its organization; He gave it His name. Sometimes we carelessly refer to it as our Church but it is not ours. I feel grateful that I have the privilege of having my name enrolled on the records as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
      • “The Gospel of Jesus Christ can only be a benefit and blessing to us if we keep the commandments of the Lord. We cannot live like the world and hope to have the favor of our Heavenly Father. We must live as the Lord indicates that we should live.”
      • “Now brethren, the storm is on—not the snowstorm—but the storm of malice and hatefulness and disagreeable feeling, and bitterness in the hearts of the children of men. Let us not partake of it; no matter what group we may have belonged to in the past, let us come into the sanctuary of the House of the Lord and attune ourselves to the spirit that is always present when He is there. Then when we go out we can resist the temptations that sometimes threaten to destroy us, and in turn destroy our families.”
  • April 1941 General Conference
    • How Blessings Come
      • “As I travel around among the people I am sometimes astonished to find that some appear to feel that they are doing the Lord a favor by belonging to His Church. They seem to have an idea that when they keep the commandments of the Lord, that they are doing something to please somebody else.”
      • “I doubt that the people of the world realize that the reason they are in the predicament they are in today is because they have neglected to follow the advice of our Heavenly Father. The uncertainty, the distress, the anguish that is prevalent in so many parts of the world is traceable directly to violating His commandments. The Lord, when He gave to us the Ten Commandments, gave us advice for our good. It was not for His benefit, except that He is always happy when we do right.”
      • “It is of no particular advantage to be a High Priest or a Seventy or an Elder in this Church, just to hold that office. But if we live up to the teachings of the Lord, if we do what He asks us to do, then we have promise of a blessing. The Lord, all the years from the beginning of time, has been ready to bless His children whenever they will permit Him to do it.”
      • “This is the Lord’s Church. I sometimes hear people speak of it as “our church.” This is the Lord’s Church. Our Heavenly Father ordained that it should come at this particular period of the world’s history, and He directed that it receive the name of His beloved Son. Fortunate are we if while we are members of it we live up to the opportunities that it offers, lest we fall into transgression and lose our faith and forfeit the blessing that the Lord desired us to possess.”
  • October 1940 General Conference
    • Our Work as a Church
      • “Our Heavenly Father, through His faithful representatives, has told us of the important things that should occur and we can read about them in His holy scriptures. If we really desire to be saved and exalted in His celestial kingdom He has told us how to proceed and has warned us that we must discharge the obligations entitling us to that exaltation. While we enjoy this blessing it carries with it a tremendous responsibility. Every man and every woman under the sound of my voice who has accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who has gone down into the waters of baptism and been confirmed a member of His Church should so live that others seeing their upright lives may be constrained to accept the Gospel of our Lord and prepare to become faithful sons and daughters.”
  • April 1940 General Conference
    • Enemies to the Work
      • “All down through the centuries that are past there have been those who have opposed the leaders appointed by the Lord. They defied Moses and were destroyed. They crucified Jesus of Nazareth, and disappeared from the world, while His name illumines the pages of all history. They cried out against Joseph Smith, the Prophet, and sought his death and succeeded in destroying his mortal life, but his name will go ringing down through the ages as a man who tried to keep the commandments of God and teach His Truth, while the names of his murderers are held in derision or have been blotted out as God said they would.”
      • “Attend to your prayers. Pray to Him who is the Author of your being. Do not be misled by the sophistries of men and the foolishness of those that imagine things that are vain, but know this, that it is your privilege, it is within your power to know not only today and tomorrow, but every day, that God is God, and that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph was a prophet, and that the leader of this Church is the representative of God upon the earth. You will know that only when you are keeping the commandments of our Heavenly Father.”
  • April 1939 General Conference
    • Gratitude and Duty
      • “We ought to be grateful. No other people in the world have been so blessed as we. We should evidence our belief in Jesus Christ by living in such a way that we will be worthy of the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit. We can if we will live in accordance with the things that have been revealed to us.”
      • “I wonder if we appreciate how blessed we are in having all that our brethren and sisters of the world have and in addition these other opportunities. With these opportunities and responsibility we ought to set our homes in order. We ought to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to our children and to our grandchildren, and to our great grandchildren if we live long enough. There is nothing more precious to us than our children, and our eternal happiness will be largely conditioned by what they attain to. The Lord has given us to understand what it all means. Surely we will not betray his confidence in us by failing to do the thing that we know we should do.”
  • October 1938 General Conference
    • Visits in Polynesia
      • “The work of the Lord goes forward in the South Pacific. The Polynesian people are all the children of our Heavenly Father. It is your privilege and mine to divide with them the Gospel of our Lord, and to carry the message of life and salvation to them not only for their benefit but to earn our own exaltation.”
  • October 1937 General Conference
    • Perilous Times
      • “The wisdom of the world is not sufficient. What we need in the midst of our distresses is the wisdom of our Heavenly Father. And how shall we obtain it? Will it be by selfishness? I think not. Will we obtain it by arrogance, unmindful of the rights of others? Certainly not. Will we obtain it by fault finding and criticizing those who are seeking unselfishly to bless mankind? No, never. The Lord has told us that we may obtain the inspiration that we always need by living righteous lives and by .prayer and thanksgiving.”
      • “As members of this Church we may not excuse ourselves as the people of the world may who have not been properly taught and do not understand. Millions of God’s children have not charts and compass as we have, but he organized his Church and offers membership and invites all to come into it and to be with him on the good ship Zion, with the promise that in obedience to his commandments there will flow peace, happiness and eternal life in his celestial kingdom.”
  • April 1937 General Conference
    • The Adversary Is Not Asleep
      • “The adversary is not asleep. He is deceiving many and leading them to sin. Reference has been made to the fact that in our own community there are those who fail to appreciate their privileges. There are some who are teaching false doctrine; and some who are seeking to persuade men and women to violate the commandments of our Heavenly Father. There are those who pretend to be inspired and who would take the leadership of the people, if they were so permitted. Of course they are not capable to lead and in their own lives are living improperly, and the adversary is using them as tools by which others may be deceived.”
      • “Unkind things are not usually said under the inspiration of the Lord. The Spirit of the Lord is a spirit of kindness; it is a spirit of patience; it is a spirit of charity and love and forbearance and long suffering; and there are none of us who do not need all these virtues that are the result of the possession of the Spirit of our Heavenly Father.”
  • October 1936 General Conference
    • No Safety Except in Righteousness
      • “Why was it necessary for the flood to come? Why did the Lord permit the cities of the plains to be destroyed by fire? It was because the people would not take advantage of their opportunities. They were not only wasting their lives here upon the earth but were also bringing into the world another generation which would follow their bad example. In both cases, it seems to me, our Heavenly Father in his wisdom and mercy cleansed the earth by the flood and cleared the way for a righteous people to dwell here if they would. The cities of the plains were burned that their wickedness might not continue to jeopardize other communities and children as yet unborn.”
      • “All down through history not only has there been spiritual distress but physical distresses have followed the people of God when they have been instructed what to do and have refused.”
  • April 1936 General Conference
    • The Book of Mormon
      • “Think of the problem that presented itself to Joseph Smith. Money was being expended, borrowed money, in order that the book might be published. Martin Harris had mortgaged his farm to secure the necessary funds. It required faith of a high order to continue under such circumstances. The edition of five thousand was eventually delivered and paid for and the estimate now is that considerably more than a million copies have since been distributed among the nations of the earth. The demand for it increases as the days go by, and it fills my heart with joy to know that every man who will read it prayerfully, every man who will desire to know whether it be of God or not has the promise, not of Joseph Smith or any living human being, but the promise of our Heavenly Father that they shall know of a surety that it is of God.”
  • October 1935 General Conference
    • Our Belief Demonstrated by Our Conduct
      • “When we see the manner in which many men and women who claim to be Christians are deporting themselves it has a tendency to destroy the faith of those who do not differentiate between the effect of living and just pretending to live the Gospel of our Lord.”
      • “I say, we believe that, but are we demonstrating to the world that we believe it? Are we willing that this Church should be judged by our personal conduct? Are we willing to stand in the presence of our Maker and say: “With the knowledge that thou gavest me, I have been worthy of thy truth,” or are some of us in the position that we would be compelled to say: “Because of our selfishness and our sinfulness we have failed”?”
      • “This very day upon which we meet here to worship, viz, the Sabbath, has become the play-day of this great nation—the day set apart by thousands to violate the commandment that God gave long, long ago, and I am persuaded that much of the sorrow and distress that is afflicting and will continue to afflict mankind is traceable to the fact that they have ignored his admonition to keep the Sabbath day holy. Where are your sons and daughters and mine today? If they are observing this commandment of our Heavenly Father then they are entitled to his blessings. If they are failing, then sorrow and not blessings may be theirs.”
      • “You will pardon me if I have talked with intense earnestness. It is not because I am angry—I am hurt; my feelings are wounded at the indifference, the carelessness, yea blindness, of many who belong to this great Church, because I know what the result will be. The Lord himself has spoken. Now let us go to our homes and wherein they are not in order, let us set them in order, get the Spirit of the Lord and keep it, observe the commandments of God that we may obtain his blessings, and let us demonstrate day by day by loving kindness and charity, and consideration to one another in these trying times, that we do know that God lives.”
  • April 1935 General Conference
    • We Must Share the Gospel
      • “The Lord offers to all of us opportunity to know his will, to know what our duty is in order that we may obtain eternal life. This is not a militant church to which we belong. This is a church that holds out peace to the world. It is not our duty to go into the world and find fault with others, neither to criticize men because they do not understand. But it is our privilege, in kindness and love, to go among them and divide with them the truth that the Lord has revealed in this latter day.”
      • “We cannot receive the beneficent favor of our Heavenly Father that is bestowed upon us, the knowledge of eternal life, and selfishly retain it, thinking that we may be blessed thereby. It is not what we receive that enriches our lives, it is what we give. It is not the things that come to us without effort; it is that which results from work that rejoices our souls.”
  • October 1934 General Conference
    • Perilous Times
      • “During these troublous times when so many are in distress, seeking happiness and not finding it, I think the finest recipe that I could give, to obtain happiness, would be: Keep the commandments of the Lord. That is easy to remember, and if we will do that we may be sure of success.”
      • “We live in perilous times. We need the inspiration of our Heavenly Father. We can’t expect it unless we keep his commandments. He said long, long ago there were idlers in Zion, and he complained at them, and he said, “He that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments of the laborer.” I am assuming that he did not mean those who cannot find employment, and who are legitimately trying to take care of themselves. I am assuming that he referred to the habit some people get into of leaning upon their neighbor.”
      • “Let us be generous with one another. Let us be as patient with one another as we would like others to be with us. Let us see the virtues of our neighbors and our friends and speak of those virtues, not find fault and criticize. If we will do that we will radiate sunshine, and those who know us best will love us.”
      • “We should attend to our secret prayers. We should live so near to our Heavenly Father that when we bow before him we may know that the thing we are asking will be pleasing unto him, and if it isn’t granted in the way that we ask it we may know that the blessing will come to us that we are entitled to and that will really be a blessing.”
  • April 1934 General Conference
    • Our Responsibility To Mankind
      • “It is our duty to teach the truth. The Lord has called us to do that and we should qualify, not only to teach it to the world, but to live it in our own homes, in all our communities. Only in proportion to our observance of the teachings of the Lord will happiness come into our lives.”
      • “To believe that we are the children of the Lord, that he is the Father of our spirits, that we are living eternal lives, is surely a comfortable feeling. To know that we may have the companionship of those we love throughout the ages of eternity is an inspiration. These blessings have come to us. The Lord has bestowed them upon us to prepare us to take advantage of our opportunities here, and to exemplify in our lives those precious truths that enrich us here and bless those with whom we associate.”
      • “Any organization may band together for worship, but that does not give them divine authority. Any group of churches may mass together and organize community churches. That does not confer divine authority. Men may unite for good purposes, but authority from our Heavenly Father is only obtained in his way, and his way in former days was by calling and ordaining men and setting them apart for the work. The same thing is true in our day.”
      • “It is not sufficient that we pray, that we attend church. It is necessary that we possess divine authority, and it is the claim that we possess that authority that has brought upon this Church much of the persecution that has followed it from the beginning. But it is the truth and many of our Father’s children are beginning to observe the effect of divine authority in this Church.”
  • October 1933 General Conference
    • This is the Lord’s Work
      • “This is the Lord’s work. It was his beloved Son who came and directed the organization of this Church. That was not done because there were not other churches; it was not necessary because there were not people worshiping God; but it was necessary in order that the scriptures might be fulfilled and in order that the Church of Jesus Christ might be again established. When I say that, it is not with any unkindness toward any other faith or creed. I realize that each of us must live his or her individual life, and when we think of the wonderful people there are throughout the world who do not know about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who have no conceptions of the teachings of our Lord as revealed again in this latter day, and as we see so many of them that are anxious to know what to do, I realize how important and serious our problem is.”
      • “These are our opportunities, and they will pass from many of us in the not distant future. Some of us will finish our work soon. We do not know when but while the day lasts, while there is yet time, let us set our houses in order and renew our determination to be worthy of a heritage in the celestial kingdom. It is not always the amount of earthly wealth that we acquire that blesses us, but it is the spiritual wealth that is a real benefit to us year after year; and eternally if we would be happy. We ought to radiate sunshine and make others who are less fortunate than ourselves as happy as possible.”
  • April 1933 General Conference
    • Houses in Order
      • “Every human being, not only those in the ranks but the leaders of ancient Israel and the leaders of modern-day Israel—even the Prophet Joseph Smith himself and his associates—were admonished by our Heavenly Father, and attention was called to the fact that it was necessary for them to set their houses in order; they were warned that unless they did that, unless their families gave heed to the teachings of the Gospel, they would lose their opportunity. That brings it right close to home, does it not—right into our own day?”
      • “Never such an opportunity to enjoy the comforts and blessings of our Heavenly Father as now. Yet the world has transgressed the laws of God. They have violated his commandments. I am speaking particularly now of the Ten Commandments. I will not take time to repeat them. You know what they are. But they are being ignored by a very large portion of our Father’s children. They are being ignored by some of those whose names are upon the records of this Church, and the result will be that the opportunity to find a place in the celestial kingdom will be taken from them, unless they repent of their sins and turn unto our Heavenly Father. Righteousness has never been popular with the masses. The popular thing is often the wrong thing. That a thing is popular is frequently justification for the Latter-day Saints to avoid it.”
      • “As one of those whom the Lord has asked to teach, I plead with you to set your houses in order. Don’t take too many things for granted. Don’t be led into the follies and foibles of the world. Safeguard your families in every possible way. Unite them under the influence of prayer.”
      • “I want to say that every voter in this Church, every legislator in this Church, every civil officer in this Church, is not only bound by the laws of the land in which we live, to sustain constitutional law, but we are bound by the moral law and by the advice and counsel that our Heavenly Father has given, to do everything possible to restrain vice and evil in the communities in which we live. If we fail to do that we can blame nobody but ourselves for the evil results.”
  • October 1932 General Conference
    • The Ten Commandments
      • “I think that the Latter-day Saints should be stressing these admonitions of our Heavenly Father, teaching our children by example as well as precept that it is a privilege to honor the Sabbath day and keep it holy, that it is a real blessing to honor our fathers and mothers, that in this day when the world is so depressed—in a day when people are tempted to do things that perhaps they would not do under other circumstances! It is wise for us to remember what the Lord has said and to read these Ten Commandments.”
      • “I am talking to you, and through you I hope I am talking to those with whom you contact. It is not only our mission, to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and live it, but it is our mission to send into the world our sons and daughters as they are called upon from time to time to labor in the ministry of the Church. As they go they should have been so trained that they would be adamant against the temptations of the adversary; they should be as pure and virtuous and righteous in their lives as it is possible to be, and then the influence of their very presence will be felt by those with whom they contact. The Spirit of God will not dwell in unclean tabernacles, but his Spirit will dwell with those who keep themselves clean and sweet.”
  • April 1932 General Conference
    • Disobedience
      • “In several places in the scriptures we read that “the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid,” and in the day and age in which we live that is very plainly manifested to the children of men. The condition that has come upon the earth is not the result of righteousness; it is the result of disobedience to the laws of our Father in heaven, and we as members of this Church have been warned of what was to come. We have not only been warned by the scriptures that were given in the days of the Savior and prior to his time, and those that were given after him, but in our own day and age the Lord has spoken and the revelations of our Heavenly Father are found in the Doctrine and Covenants. If we will read these revelations we will learn that the experiences through which we are passing were predicted, that the very promises that the Lord made are now being fulfilled.”
      • “It does seem strange that so many of our Father’s children think they are finding satisfaction in doing things that are wrong. The distress of the world today is very largely because men have turned from the teachings of the Lord. Men are seeking the wealth of the world, and it appears to make little difference to some of them how they obtain it. They cannot take it with them. The things that they obtain by selfishness will not be beneficial to them. For thousands of years the Lord has been teaching this lesson, yet today it seems to me that men and women are as disobedient, as unthankful and unholy as they have ever been in any period of the world’s history.”
      • “The land that we live in should be sanctified by our lives of righteousness, and we should go about doing good. There should be no doubt in our minds as to the power of God to safeguard our interests. We know that he can do that, and in this wonderful Church, with its marvelous organization, with the authority of the holy priesthood bestowed upon thousands of our Father’s sons, with these marvelous organizations that are given for the training of our youth—our Primary, our Mutuals, our Sabbath Schools, our Relief Society organization, our educational facilities—there is everything that should prepare us to know what God would have us do here. All that we need is to repent of our sins, turn from the error of our ways, cleanse our lives of impurity, and then to go about doing good. It does not require that we shall be set apart for that purpose. Every man, woman and child in the Church of Jesus Christ may go about doing good and receive the blessing that results therefrom.”
      • “Let us acknowledge his wisdom, let us set our hands to the work that he has entrusted to our care, let us bless our Father’s children wherever they may be, and our lives will be enriched and this world will be made happier. This is the mission that has been placed upon our shoulders. Our Heavenly Father will hold us responsible for the manner in which we fulfil it.”
  • October 1931 General Conference
    • Missionary Efforts
      • “It is not the purpose of this Church to make statements that would hurt the feelings of those who do not understand things. This Church is not one that goes about criticising and finding fault with others, but in the spirit of loving kindness and the desire to be helpful, its representatives carry the Gospel message to the nations of the earth.”
      • “The difficulties for which we are now seeking remedies are the result of forsaking the teachings of the Lord and depending upon the wisdom of men.”
  • April 1931 General Conference
    • Gratitude for Faithful Members and Leaders
      • “All my life I have been associated with this Church and its faithful members and rejoice that I have been considered worthy to be identified with them. Men and women such as are sitting in this congregation today have been an inspiration to me. I thank you, my brethren and sisters, for the joy I have had in being your associate in this work, this work that the Lord has given to the earth for the last time, for we are assured that it will never again be taken from the earth or given to another people.”
  • October 1930 General Conference
    • The World is Alarming
      • “The people of the world are becoming alarmed, but the alarm is only just beginning. Unless the men and women of this nation, and of all nations, turn unto the Lord and keep his commandments, they cannot hope to continue in his favor; and if his favor is removed from them, then the adversary will do his work.”
      • “We cannot hope to convince the world of the truth of the Gospel if we depend upon the book-learning that we obtain in schools, but we can obtain all that they possess, and then if the Lord continues to bless us we can go on, reaching higher points, understanding greater things that are not understood except by the power of the Lord.”
      • “The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of peace. It is not a gospel of contention. We are instructed by the Savior to go into all the world and teach this Gospel unto every creature. That commandment has been given to the Church in this day. We do not go out in our own name or in our own strength, but we offer to our Father’s children these precious truths, that are essential for them to understand in order that they may gain the blessing that our Heavenly Father intends.”
      • “The world seems to think that they can come whenever they are ready. Our Father’s children do not understand that there is some preparation to be made. The adversary has so deceived them as to make them believe that no preparation is necessary, anything will do, but in this message that the Savior gave in a parable to his associates we are informed that there must be some preparation, and without that preparation no one will be permitted to partake of the more precious gifts of our Heavenly Father. That applies to the membership of this Church who have an idea that because they have been invited, and because their names appear upon the record among those who have been called, there is nothing more for them to do; men who have been blessed in a financial way; women who have become prominent in social life. They have forgotten the Lord and are not preparing for the feast to which he has invited them.”
      • “The fact that our names appear upon the Church records is no guarantee that we will find our place in the celestial kingdom. Only those who live worthy to be members of that kingdom shall find place there.”
  • April 1930 General Conference
    • Gratitude for Blessings
      • “I stand here today one of the humblest among you, profoundly grateful to my Heavenly Father for my membership in this Church, and for the knowledge that he has given to me of its truth, for my association with these men who are my close companions in life, and for the privilege of mingling with the members of this Church throughout the land. I, too, am thankful for the friendship of great and good men and women throughout the world, who have not yet understood the purpose of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and how I hope and pray that because of our upright lives, by reason of the continued development of this work and of the power of truth as it has been made manifest in the last hundred years, these too may be made to understand, and that they with their children and their children’s children may become members of the fold of Christ and receive, an inheritance in his celestial kingdom.”
  • October 1929 General Conference
    • A Pure Atmosphere
      • “We choose carefully the atmosphere that we breathe, that we may live in health. But sometimes, in our carelessness, we place ourselves in subjection to immoral influences that destroy our resistance of evil, and we are led to do things that we ought not to do and would not do if under the influence of the Lord. If we would only be humble, if we would only be prayerful, if we would only live in such a way that each hour of our lives we could truthfully say, “Father in heaven, I am willing and anxious to do what thou wouldst have me do,” our lives every day would be enriched as we go through this earth experience.”
  • April 1929 General Conference
    • Put off Vanity
      • “I fear that the Latter-day Saints, in many cases, are blinded by their own vanity, by their desire to be what the world is; and we have been told in such plain language by our Heavenly Father that we cannot live as the world lives and enjoy his Spirit.”
      • “The very fact that so much wealth has been made available to many people gives the youth in some instances the feeling that because their parents are well-to-do, honest toil is not necessary or desirable; and yet I am satisfied that no people have ever lived upon the earth who have failed to earn their livelihood by integrity and industry, but have gone to decay.”
  • October 1928 General Conference
    • Blessings of the Restored Gospel
      • “We do not have to go outside the Church for real blessings; we do not have to depart from the teachings of our forefathers in order to enjoy that which is most precious in life, but on the contrary those who believe most firmly in God, those who know of the divine mission of Jesus Christ and partake of the gifts that come as a result of his teachings are the happiest people that can be found upon the earth. I fear, however, that the prosperity that attends us has a tendency to draw our attention from the most important things of life. I fear that the sins of men blind them to the blessings of the Giver of all good; I am hoping and praying with you that this great and wonderful nation of which we are a part may not succumb to the evils that afflict mankind and forsake the generous offering of our Heavenly Father, of peace and plenty and happiness, while we dwell here upon the earth.”
      • “In our day the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been organized, not after the wisdom of men. When I speak thus I have no unkindness in my heart towards all these great religious organizations in the world. Men have done their best to give to the world a system of ethics and a desire to live so that the best that is in life might be enjoyed, but it remained for God the Eternal Father, through his Son Jesus Christ, to give to this earth in this latter-day the gospel that he formerly gave to the people in Judea, and to give to us in our day a more perfect understanding of the purpose of our being.”
  • April 1928 General Conference
    • Growth and Development
      • “I haven’t touched all the things that are in my mind, but I have mentioned enough to call your attention to what I would like to have you remember, that when our Heavenly Father established his Church upon the earth, he established it on such a broad plane that there is afforded in this organization, by means of its priesthood and its auxiliary organizations, an opportunity for the development of every living soul, under the influence of his Holy Spirit. He organized his Church on so broad a scale that all are invited to search the scriptures and understand them for themselves. On such a scale we are invited to go into the great schools and universities of learning of the world, seeking for the things that the world has been able to uncover and explain; and these all, as far as they are true, to become a part of our thinking, to be made a part of our lives.”
  • October 1927 General Conference
    • Seek First the Kingdom of God
      • “Everyone should possess the spirit of the work, a spirit of love, a spirit of kindness, a spirit of charity for the weaknesses and frailties of mankind, but with a pronounced desire that the truth may be made manifest, that those who err in their lives may be led to forsake their folly and turn to the Lord our God.”
      • “This gospel of Jesus Christ is the power of God unto salvation, as the Apostle Paul declared. It is the Redeemer’s work. It is the only way whereby we may attain the highest exaltation that the Savior of mankind intended that those who followed him should enjoy. I do not say that egotistically, I say it with all charity for our Father’s children who belong to other churches. I say it with love for his sons and daughters who do not understand, but he has commanded that we should say this thing. It is his will that people should know. In no uncertain tone is the gospel being proclaimed among the children of men, and the message of life and salvation is being offered, without money and without price, to all our Father’s children, in order that they may avail themselves of the knowledge that will prepare them for eternal life in his celestial kingdom. That is why there is rejoicing in the lives of those who keep the commandments of God.”
  • April 1927 General Conference
    • Strong Men of Character
      • “There are throughout the organized stakes of Zion, men of strong character, men who think and reason for themselves, men who have tested the value of the gospel of Jesus Christ by observing its teachings, men who have not been afraid to go into the world and proclaim an unpopular doctrine, men who have been willing to offer their lives in order that the gospel might be proclaimed. It is to humble men like these who do not exalt themselves in the eyes of their fellows, who believe in the divine mission of our Savior, who know as they know they live that our heavenly Father has revealed himself in this latter day, that our Lord has given a living testimony of the truth.”
  • October 1926 General Conference
    • Purpose of this Life
      • “There is no doubt in the mind of a Latter-day Saint as to the purpose of our earth life. We are here to prepare ourselves and develop ourselves and qualify ourselves to be worthy to dwell in the presence of our heavenly Father. We must learn to overcome our passions, our evil tendencies. We must learn to resist temptations- That is why we are here, and in order that we may more perfectly do that the gospel has been restored to the earth, and we have been made partakers of it, and we have the strength that comes to us as a result of the power of the Holy Ghost.”
      • “The gospel has been restored in these latter days to prepare men for the celestial kingdom. This gospel has not been given to qualify men for any other kingdom, but has been given to us to prepare us that we may dwell upon this earth when it has been celestialized, when our Redeemer will dwell here and he will be our lawgiver and our king.”
      • “They do not understand, but for those who have been made partakers of the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days there is no excuse if we are not living a righteous life. We have been fully taught, we have observed the effects of righteousness upon the lives of others. We have had the assurance that by living the commandments of God happiness will be our portion here, and that this will be the foundation upon which we will build for eternal happiness.”
      • “Why is it necessary that we come to a unity of the faith? It is because there is only one true faith, there is only one true gospel, and if we partake of some other gospel, if we devote our lives to work for some other god, then has the adversary taken advantage of his opportunities and destroyed for us the benefits that our heavenly Father intended that we should have.”
      • “A man may know as he knows that he lives that Jesus is the Christ. He may know that this is the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation; but if he transgresses the laws of God, if he becomes evil in his life, his mind may become darkened and he may turn away from that faith that points directly to the celestial kingdom, and spend his time along by-ways that will only lead him eventually into sorrow and distress, and that will mean that he has failed of his opportunities.”
      • “A man of his own thinking cannot find out God. We must keep the commandments of the Lord, we must follow the teachings of our heavenly Father, we must live in such a way that the whispering of that still, small voice will come to us and will indicate to us the truth.”
  • April 1926 General Conference
    • Education of our Children
      • “Everything that you can think of in the way of comfort and information has been presented to this dispensation. Unfortunately, notwithstanding these blessings, there is a tendency to worship the gift and to forget the Giver.”
      • “So my brethren and sisters, while we can have our children educated in the arts and sciences as taught by men, there still remains a commandment of our heavenly Father that we shall supplement those teachings and that our children shall be reared in light and truth.”
  • October 1925 General Conference
    • Where We Are From
      • “I am grateful that in the midst of the confusion of our Father’s children there has been given to the members of this great organization a sure knowledge of the origin of man, that we came from the spirit world where our spirits were begotten by our Father in heaven, that he formed our first parents from the dust of the earth, and that their spirits were placed in their bodies, and that man came, not as some have believed, not as some have preferred to believe, from some of the lower walks of life, but our ancestors were those beings who lived in the courts of heaven. We came not from some menial order of life, but our ancestor is God our heavenly Father.”
  • April 1925 General Conference
    • Have Faith
      • “When I ponder over the condition of the people of this world, the doubt that is in the mind of the human family, I am reminded that it is only a repetition of history. Then people of the earth during past centuries have received the ministry of our heavenly Father, through his divinely-appointed servants, but because of their indifference, and carelessness, because of selfishness and evil, they have forfeited the knowledge that God lives, and they have turned from the worship of the true and living God to worship Baal, and the other false gods, that men have erected under the influence of the adversary of all righteousness. Today, as I think of the men who stand as religious leaders among the people, and observe how helpless they are to inspire faith in the minds and lives of individuals, and realize that in the mercy of the Lord the Latter-day Saints have received, not something that is uncertain, but a living individual testimony that has been born into the lives of each soul who has complied with the simple requirements of our heavenly Father, namely—faith in him, repentance of sin, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, I am profoundly grateful. Without exception, each repentant baptized believer who has complied with these requirements of the Lord has received a witness for himself that this is our Father’s work.”
  • October 1924 General Conference
    • Support of Constitutional Government
      • “The Lord has blessed each of us with intellect and has offered to direct our thoughts if we will approach him in a proper manner. The mind of man is affected by good and by evil influences, and there are in the world those two powers that have been active from the beginning. Knowing that we may be directed by proper influences as members of this great Church, and as citizens of this wonderful government, surely we will not depart from the advice and counsel of our Heavenly Father and follow those teachings that will lead us to destruction. Knowing that the Lord prepared this land that it might be a haven of liberty for those who dwell here, and understanding that he desires a continuation of those conditions that the builders of this republic contended for, we who are members of his Church ought, in every possible way, to assist in perpetuating that liberty that means so much for the children of men.”
      • “In these days of confusion, when the Constitution of our country is assailed, by those who have no understanding of the purpose of God regarding this great country, it behooves those who do understand to consider seriously and faithfully, the benefits that will flow to us by honoring and sustaining the government that was reared under the direction of our heavenly Father.”
      • “So, as Latter-day Saints in these times of unrest we may know that no man is a faithful member of this Church, in good standing, who refuses to sustain the law of the land, and who lends himself in any way to break down that organized system of laws that has been prepared for the good of the community.”
  • October 1923 General Conference
    • Eternal Life
      • “We are all of us passing rapidly to that time when we will be called hence. If we did not understand that there is a future life, if we did not realize that there is something more than the influence that we have received thus far, if there was not anything but the vanity and vexation of life for us to live for there are many, it seems to me, who would grow weary in the struggle that is to be made for existence here. But in the mercy of our heavenly Father he has bestowed upon us the most wonderful gifts that come to human kind. Think of the tenderness of our fathers and mothers, reared as we are under the nurture and admonition of the Lord; think of the homes of prayer wherein we have been taught that we must pray to our heavenly Father if we would be pleasing unto him. Think of the teachings that have come to us of honesty, of industry, of integrity, of sobriety, of purity, and cleanness of life. Think of the blessings that have come to us, inspiring in us charity for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. All the ideals and virtues that mankind has known, or will know, have been bestowed upon the members of this great Church.”
  • April 1923 General Conference
    • Faith
      • “All Latter-day Saints should bow before the Lord morning and evening and from the depth of our souls express our gratitude to our heavenly Father. I hope that those who have received this wonderful gift of faith are living to retain it. If any lack faith it is because they have not kept the commandments of God. Those who do not honor the Sabbath and keep it holy, displease him. Some people appear to think that if they have attended religious meetings, or performed some portion of the service required of them on Sunday, they are then at liberty to go to ball games, picture shows, or resorts of various kinds, and still continue to enjoy the favor of the Master. I say to you that if they persist in doing things of that kind, members of the Church will lose their faith ; and the Spirit of our heavenly Father will withdraw from them.”
  • October 1922 General Conference
    • The United States of America
      • “The Constitution and the laws that have been enacted under its provisions are calculated to insure liberty, not license, to all who dwell here. This Church with which we are identified, stands, if it stands for anything, for the perpetuation of the liberties of all mankind. We should not listen to those who find pleasure in teaching sedition. Neither should we follow those who claim to be citizens of this land, who go about violating the laws that govern it. There are many who are failing to do their duty as citizens who have the right of franchise, but who are unworthy of that blessing that has come to those who live in this wonderful country.”
      • “There is no other remedy for the ills of this world but repentance; there is no preservation from the evils that will overtake mankind but on the score of righteousness. Unless men turn to the Lord history will repeat itself and destruction overtake the wicked. You already know that and understand it—you, upon whose heads have been laid the hands of the servants of the Lord; upon whom have been bestowed the holy Priesthood—you realize that God will not be mocked and that it is our duty as men of Israel to go in love and in kindness and with charity to all men, and divide with them this glorious message that has been given to us in this latter day.”
  • April 1922 General Conference
    • Missionary Work
      • “The danger that confronts this world today is similar to that of the ages past. Calamity has overtaken the nations where men and women have departed from the teaching of the true and living God and have accepted the philosophies of uninspired men instead. Having turned away from those glorious truths that emanate from the source of all knowledge, they have been led captive by the fallacies of those who have set themselves up as wiser than their Creator. History repeats itself. We read in the Old Testament the circumstances that surrounded the people at the time of the flood. We are informed that they were not destroyed until they had been fully warned. For one hundred and twenty years Noah, a prophet of God, went to and fro among the people, calling on them to abandon their wickedness. He warned them that unless they repented of their sins and turned to the Lord, destruction would overtake them. One hundred and twenty years of pleading to do right was followed by the flood that destroyed all flesh not preserved in the ark. Because Noah was indeed a prophet of God, and had only told the people what the Lord had directed, his promise was fulfilled, he was vindicated, and the earth received its baptism of water. Only the little handful that believed in the prophet of God and listened to his wise counsels, were saved.”
      • “We must not be idle. This world is in need of our ministry. Our Father’s children everywhere are anxious to know what they should do, but, by reason of the evil influences that have pervaded the earth, they have been deceived; honorable men of the earth are blinded to the truth; and the adversary continues with his work, destroying, not individuals alone, but, as in the great war that recently filled all nations with alarm, millions of God’s children are wiped out and millions more are made miserable. The adversary is at work, and the only power that can neutralize his influence is the gospel of Jesus Christ. The churches of the world are trying, in their way, to bring peace into the hearts of men. They are possessed of many virtues and many truths, and accomplish much good, but they are not divinely authorized. Neither have their priests been divinely commissioned.”
      • “I want to call your attention to the fact that when the boy Prophet knelt in the woods and when he asked the Father of us all which of the churches he should join, .he was warned that he should join none of them, “For,” said the Lord, “they worship me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They teach for doctrine the commandments of men. They have a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” When the Lord said that, he was not condemning all his children, but he was stating the truth that has been manifested since the gospel was restored. When He organized His Church, it was not intended that men should be discouraged or disappointed, who had joined other churches, but it was desired that all the virtues, all the blessings that were worth while, all the truth that they had acquired in their church organizations might remain with them and that they might take it with them when they embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ—verily the power of God unto salvation. We have never asked any good Catholic, Methodist or Presbyterian to give up any virtue or truth that has been possessed by him in the organization with which he has been identified, but with all the power that a numerically weak organization could exert we have said to the men and women of this world: Keep all the good that you have acquired, and go to the Lord in mighty prayer and learn from Him and that His gospel has again been restored upon the earth. Learn from Him that His truth is here and that there are men living who possess divine authority conferred by Him. Go to Him. Go to the Lord, and ask Him that you may know the proper course to pursue. Surely intelligent men can see that all these various deviating paths cannot lead back into the presence of our Lord, but there is a path and He who marked it out has all power in heaven and earth. He has ordained that His gospel should be proclaimed to His children not in unkindness, not in harshness but with love unfeigned, that they may, before it is too late, investigate His truth and turn from the error of their ways and be worthy to be received by Him when the time comes for Him to establish His kingdom.”
  • October 1921 General Conference
    • Mission in Europe
      • “Men cannot teach what they do not themselves know. These good men, not understanding the gospel and the necessity for the ordinances of the same, confine their teachings very largely to moral lessons and to reading the psalms to their congregations! Isolated passages of scripture are chosen as texts for addresses on virtue, honesty, etc., etc., all of which are helpful and uplifting, but few sermons are preached explaining the requirements made of every soul before we can enter the kingdom of heaven. It is this information of which the world is most in need. Few ministers have a message for their congregations that inspires in them the belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ and the necessity of partaking of the ordinances of the gospel prescribed by him.”
      • “There is no doubt in our minds that baptism is essential to salvation. Evidently the Redeemer of mankind believed- it was. He in whose name we hope to gain eternal exaltation, and through whom we hope for a glorious resurrection, who came into the world and laid down his life that we might live again, thought it was important and necessary, and yet there are. many of our Father’s children who do not understand and do not believe that the Lord requires it of all men. The Scriptures contain several instructions regarding it.”
      • “The promise of the Lord that we may enjoy eternal life is conditional. That is, we must serve the Lord our God with all our hearts, we must serve him by caring for his children, by blessing mankind wherever our influence can be exerted to bring them into the marvelous light of the glorious gospel. We must impart of our temporal blessings as well as exert our spiritual influence for the uplift of our fellows.”
    • Joseph’s Testimony
      • “We- will not be popular with those who are unrighteous. This Church is opposed by the same power that sought the life of the Savior, it has followed the prophets of this dispensation, and many of you have lived to see the hand of the Lord as he has thwarted the powers of evil that they have not been able to overthrow this work.”
  • June 1919 General Conference
    • Sustaining the Prophet
      • “The obligation that we make when we raise our hands under such circumstances, is a most sacred one. It does not mean that we will go quietly on our way and be willing that the prophet of the Lord shall direct this work, but it means,—if I understand the obligation I assumed when I raised my hand—that we will stand behind him; we will pray for him; we will defend his good name, and we will strive to carry out his instructions as the Lord shall direct him to offer them to us while he remains in that position.”
      • “Be diligent, ye men of Israel, who bear the Priesthood of our Lord. Do not think that you can gain the honor, the distinction and the eternal blessings that President Smith will gain if you do the works that are less than he has done. It is not necessary that a man should be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, or the Presidency of the Church, in order to obtain the greatest blessings in the kingdom of our heavenly Father. These are but offices required in the Church, and there are many faithful and devoted men worthy to fill these offices whose time and talents are needed throughout the Church. There are, in the Church more good men than those occupying these positions, and remember that in the ranks and throughout the Church there is ample opportunity for every man and for every woman to do something for the blessing of their fellows and for the advancement of the work of the Lord.”
      • “Let every man set his house in order; let every man who bears the priesthood, set himself in order, and when the call comes from the servants of the Lord, telling him to go into the world to teach the truth, to warn the children of men, as our Father requires they shall be warned, let no man hide behind some foolish thing, to be swallowed up, if not by a great fish, by the foolish things of the world.”
  • April 1918 General Conference
    • The Restoration of the Gospel
      • “I want you to note that: “He will justify in committing a little sin.” That cunning adversary knowing that if he could only get a man or woman to do a little wrong, that far they had gone into his territory, that far they were in his power.”
  • October 1917 General Conference
    • Our Opportunities
      • “Will our Father hold us guiltless when we go home, if we have failed to teach our children the importance of these sacred records? I think not.”
  • April 1917 General Conference
    • Duty of the Saints
      • “I am thankful for the blessing of our Father that has been extended to the Latter-dav Saints, that we have received the truth, and I do not feel that we are egotistical, or feel that we have been chosen above our fellows, but rather that with the blessing that has come to us the Lord has placed upon us the responsibility, that we must go into all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature, before the end shall come.”
  • October 1916 General Conference
    • The Gospel of Jesus Christ
      • “It is important that our sons and daughters become established in their faith and know as their parents know, that this is our Father’s work.”
      • “It is not necessary for you to be called to go into the mission field in order to proclaim the truth. Begin on the man who lives next door by inspiring confidence in him, by inspiring love in him for you because of your righteousness, and your missionary work has already begun.”
  • April 1916 General Conference
    • Selfishness
      • “What a happy influence it ought to have on our lives, if day by day, we could live so that our departed dear ones would desire to be near us. What a splendid thing it would be to live so that we could feel their presence and enjoy their companionship, even though they have passed to the other side.”
      • “Let us this day make up our minds that from henceforth we will use our influence to drive from our midst every evil thing, by beginning at home, setting our own houses in order and then radiating our influence in love and kindness and by good works wherever possible.”
    • Missionary Work
      • “Let each of us live so that if we should be called, that the Lord may be able to work through us for the amelioration of the condition of millions of His children who know not the Gospel of our Lord as we have received it. Let us go to our homes each with the determination that, the Lord helping us, we will serve Him and keep His commandments and fulfil the obligations resulting from receiving His word.”
  • October 1915 General Conference
    • Testimonies
      • “If there are any of us who lack faith in this work it is because we have not kept the commandments of God. If there are any who do not know that this is the work of our Father, it is because they have not done their duty.”
  • April 1915 General Conference
    • Faithfulness, Peace and Comfort
      • “It is your duty and mine to always be exemplary in our conduct; to seek to do good to our fellow men, to encourage, not only our own children, but the children of our neighbor to works of righteousness.”
  • April 1914 General Conference
    • Living in Harmony
      • “Whenever your politics cause you to speak unkindly of your brethren, know this, that you are upon dangerous ground.”
      • “Let us not become so worked up in our feelings that we shut our eyes to the greater blessings, to the most important thing, the salvation of our souls.”
      • “Let us not ally ourselves with bodies of men who would tear down and break in pieces this government, that was founded under the inspiration of God the Eternal Father. We cannot belong to any political party that is opposed to this free government and be consistent Latter-day Saints.”
      • “If we find a man or a woman who has not succeeded in life, one who is weakening in his faith, let us not turn our backs upon him; let us make it a point to visit him, and go to him in kindness and love, and encourage him to turn from the error of his way.”
      • “Every kind act that we perform for one of our Father’s children is but a permanent investment made by us that will bear eternal dividends.”
  • October 1913 General Conference
    • Marvelous Power of Faith
      • “If we lack faith let us examine ourselves to see if we have been keeping His commandments, and repent without delay if we have not.”
  • April 1913 General Conference
    • Living Gospel Principles
      • “If we are not more perfect in our lives, if we are not more righteous than those who are not of our faith we will be behind them in receiving the blessings of our Heavenly Father; but if we obey His commandments, if we keep ourselves clean, pure and unspotted from the sins of the world, His power will rest upon us.”
  • October 1912 General Conference
    • Get the Spirit of the Lord and Keep It
      • “Possessing that Spirit, our ambition will not be a selfish one, but with charity in our hearts for all mankind, love for all our Father’s children, we will mingle with them day by day, and the influence we radiate will be one of love and kindness that will have its influence for good upon every child of our Father with whom we come in contact.”
  • October 1911 General Conference
    • Responsibility Shared by All
      • “I must carry that part of the load that the Lord places upon me, and if I shirk, then I realize that I forfeit the blessing that would come to me by obedience to the commandments of our Father.”
    • Do the Will of God
      • “Let us obey those who are in authority over us, and sustain them not alone by word of mouth, but by acts and efforts; through this obedience we may know every moment that Jesus is the Redeemer of the world, and that there is placed within our reach His gospel for the uplift and salvation of the human family.”
      • “Let each one of us who are here today examine ourselves, find wherein we are short of what our Father in heaven would have us be, repent of our sins and turn unto Him with full purpose of heart.”
  • October 1909 General Conference
    • Testimony
      • “Have I set my house in order? This should be the query in every heart. Not, Has my neighbor done so? but, have I done what the Lord has required of me?”
  • October 1908 General Conference
    • Blessings by Obedience
      • “How can any of us feel justified in ignoring a simple law of God that He, by His own voice, has said any of us can obey? Can we expect to be able to keep a higher law, and be able to attain great exaltation, if we fail to keep this simple requirement?”
      • “We are not depriving man or woman of any blessing, when we withhold from them that which dethrones their reason and debases their lives.”
  • October 1908 General Conference
    • Obedience
      • “We read in the teachings of Mormon that if there were not miracles wrought among that people it was because they did not have faith; and he told them, further, that without faith, “awful was the state of man.” If we violate the known will of the Lord it is natural that our faith will wane, for the Spirit will not always strive, with us.”
      • “If, as a people, when commandments have been given to us, by Him, and we fail to observe them, then the promise is not to us, but it will be realized by those who are obedient.”
      • “We are not depriving man or woman of any blessing, when we withhold from them that which dethrones their reason and debases their lives.”
  • April 1908 General Conference
    • The Sacrament
      • “I feel that a comprehension of the sacredness of the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is important to the members of the Church. We partake of physical food—that is, we partake of bread and water etc., to nourish the physical body. It is just as necessary that we partake of the emblems of the body and blood of our risen Lord to increase our spiritual strength. It is observed that men and women who go from year to year without partaking of the Lord’s Supper, gradually lose the Spirit of our Heavenly Father; they forfeit its companionship where they have had opportunity to participate in that blessing, but have failed to take advantage of it.”
      • “Before partaking of this sacrament, our hearts should be pure; our hands should be clean; we should be divested of all enmity toward our associates; we should be at peace with our fellow men; and we should have in our hearts a desire to do the will of our Father and to keep all of His commandments. If we do this, partaking of the sacrament will be a blessing to us and will renew our spiritual strength.”
      • “Then I say also to those who partake of the sacrament, we should consider seriously the covenants we make with our Father. Let us pay strict attention to those covenants, and let us see to it that we eat and drink worthily, for the blessings of our souls and for the increase of our spiritual strength. These blessings are for you, my brethren and sisters, who are of the household of faith. Let us appreciate them, and live worthy of them, that by our lives we may exemplify our belief. Let none of us be under condemnation by partaking of the sacrament unworthily, thereby being deprived of the companionship of the Spirit of our Father.”
  • October 1907 General Conference
    • Children
      • “One child, born under proper conditions and reared under suitable circumstances, is worth more than all the cattle and sheep upon a thousand hills, aye, than all the treasures of the world.”
      • “I raise my voice among the sons and daughters of Zion, and warn you that if you dry up the springs of life and abuse the power that God has blessed you with, there will come a time of chastening to you, that all the tears you may shed will never remove. Remember the first great commandment; fulfill that obligation.”
      • “If you have no children of your own, if you realize the admonition of the Savior, then some of you who desire this blessing should reach out your arms and adopt some of these homeless children. And, though they may not prove in all respects all that you could wish, the intent of your heart will be rewarded by the Father who knows your desire to do good.”
  • April 1907 General Conference
    • Faithfulness
      • “Speaking of the apparently rapid way that time passes, I am reminded that none of us are here in this life very long. We believe that we are harvesting the fruits of our pre-existent lives, and earning here the reward we expect to reap when we go hence. The Lord has indicated to us that by faith we can please Him, and that by keeping His commandments we can draw near unto Him. We are told that faith is a gift of God, and that in return for obedience our faith is increased. Thereby we grow in strength, and we feel the presence of the Holy Spirit more abundantly.”
      • “We are told that the glory of God is intelligence, and we all admire intelligent men and women, therefore it should be our desire to lay the foundation for increased mental power and not do anything to weaken it.”
      • “Sec. 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants is not only a Word of Wisdom to the members of this Church but it is a law for the temporal salvation of all of our Father’s children in the world, and it behooves the Latter-day Saints to declare the truth of this law to all men. We observe that compliance with the laws of health produces mental and physical strength, and we discover that through disobedience thereto, mental and physical deterioration follows.”
      • “If I am honorable and keep the commandments of the Lord, I believe that my children will inherit similar strength of character. On the other hand, if I plant in them appetites and desires for those things which the Lord has forbidden, whereby they transgress His laws, forfeit the companionship of His Holy Spirit, and go outside the pale of the Church, when I go to the other side and find that by my unfaithfulness and determination to be a law unto myself, I have placed a stumbling block in the way of my children, so that they are deprived of exaltation in the presence of the Father, all the excuses I have made in this life will be of no avail.”
      • “Let us not be a community of excuse-makers.”
      • “We cannot with impunity look slightingly upon the Word of Wisdom. It was given as counsel and advice, not by commandment or constraint, but as a word of wisdom, from our Father, for the temporal salvation of our bodies and the preparation of our souls for eternal life. He thought it of enough importance to give it unto us, and to warn us and if He who knows all things thought it necessary to give advice and counsel upon these temporal matters, how carefully we, who know not what the morrow has in store for us, should observe that divine counsel. I feel that the Latter-day Saints have in the Word of Wisdom a law that will exalt them and lift them above those who fail to keep it.”
  • October 1906 General Conference
    • The State of Zion
      • “How many of us, learning the will of the Father, are doing it? How many of us day by day are laying a foundation and building a structure that shall conform to the dignity of the stature of our Master? “Yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples; and whatsoever temple is defiled, God shall destroy that temple.” He has given us intelligence and wisdom above our fellowmen. A knowledge of pre-existence has been given to the Latter-day Saints; a knowledge that we are here because we kept our first estate, and that we have been given the opportunity of gaining eternal life in the presence of our heavenly Father, by keeping our second estate. We will not be judged as our brothers and sisters of the world are judged, but according to the greater opportunities placed in our keeping. We will be among those who have received the word of the Lord, who have heard His sayings, and if we do them it will be to us eternal life, but if we fail condemnation will result.”
      • “The Church of Christ is not usually assailed from without by those who are moral in their lives. One of the best evidences to me of the lack of morality in men and women is that the adversary is able to put into their hearts a disposition to tear down the work of our heavenly Father.”
      • “I have no fear for those not of our faith who are living up to the light that God has blessed them with, because according to the law received so will we be judged and held accountable; but the Latter-day Saints who knowing the will of our Father have not done it, those who hear the teachings of the Lord from time to time and turn their backs upon them, I fear they will not reach the goal unless they turn and repent with all their hearts.”
      • “Now, while we live and labor let us magnify our calling. Let no man be found recreant to his opportunities. Let us not turn our backs upon the blessings of the Lord, but day by day go faithfully on blessing our father’s children. We have no hard feelings toward any of our fellowmen; we have no occasion to. If they misunderstand us, misquote us, and persecute us, we should remember they are in the hands of the Lord, who has said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” and who further has said, “I will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is expected to forgive all men.” So when we partake of the sacrament of the Lord’s supper, as we do from time to time, let us purge from our hearts all feeling of unkindness toward one another and toward our brothers and sisters who are not of our faith. Let us labor day by day that our Father may bless us. If we have His Holy Spirit, the peopie with whom we come in contact will feel it, because it will permeate the atmosphere in which we live, and they will partake of it and drink it in, even though they may not desire so to do. Let us magnify the Lord by keeping His commandments. Let us popularize His work by laboring to build it up and extend it among the children of men. Let us magnify one another by speaking good only, and by strengthening the hands of those who are weak, and assisting those who are less patient than ourselves.”
      • “If we live up to the teachings of the Church, if we will keep all the commandments of our Father, men and women can say nothing else of us, because we will be the best people that live upon the earth. I believe we are that already, but there is room for improvement. Let us make this improvement; let us honor the Lord, honor the principles and opportunities He has granted us, and be a blessing to his children wheresoever they may be.”
  • April 1906 General Conference
    • Construction of the Monument at Joseph Smith, Jr’s Birthplace
      • “The people of that country said to Brother Wells, “You will not be able to get it into position because of storms and snow; the roads will be so slippery that you cannot haul it.” Brother Wells said to them (evidencing the faith of his lineage) “We will get there, the Lord will open the way.” So the storms held off until the monument was in place, the cottage roofed, and the doors and windows roughed in, then it began to snow. The people of that country refer to this two months of pleasant weather, at a time when ordinarily they have snow, as Wells’ weather, in compliment to the man who had faith in our Heavenly Father in carrying out the purpose undertaken.”
      • “We proceeded by other conveyances from there to Kirtland, the old home of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Coming in sight of the town the first thing that greeted our vision was the beautiful temple of Kirtland, and as we beheld it we felt that there was one sacred building that had passed from the hands of the Latter-day Saints. I hope the day will come, if it be the will of our Father, that it will again be possessed by the Church that built it.”
  • October 1905 General Conference
    • Forgiveness
      • “We are called a peculiar people because, perchance, we thoroughly believe and obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our peculiarity lies very largely in the fact that we believe the Old and New Testaments actually contain the word of the Lord, as far as they have been translated correctly. We also firmly believe the Book of Mormon, which the world knows comparitively little of; and add to that unwavering belief in the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. We regard the teachings contained therein as revelations of our Father in heaven to His children who dwell upon this earth. It is not! alone because we have faith in the books referred to that we are considered a peculiar people, but also because we confidently believe that our Father in Heaven has spoken in this day and age. In fact, we know that thore is communication with the heavens. Our brethren and sisters of the world, generally, do not acknowledge that.”
      • “The Lord has given us great information, has revealed His mind and will unto us, has taught us things that the world know not of, and, in accordance with the information we have received, He holds us responsible and expects us to live a higher life, a more ideal life than those who do not as fully comprehend the Gospel as we do. The spirit of forgiveness is something that the Latter-day Saints might with profit exhibit more fully among themselves.”
      • “If our lives were such that, when we differ with our neighbor, if, instead of setting ourselves up as judges one against another, we could honestly and conscientiously appeal to our Father in Heaven and say, “Lord, judge between me and my brother; thou knowest my heart; Thou knowest I have no feeling of anger against him; help us to see alike, and give us wisdom that we may deal righteously with each other,” how few differences there would be, and what joy and blessings would come to us! But, little difficulties arise from time to time which disturb the equilibrium of our daily lives, and we continue to be unhappy because we cherish an improper influence, and have not charity.”
      • “A man who is living in accordance with the Gospel of Jesus Christ is never in doubt about its success; but the man who neglects his duty, who fails to keep his covenants, loses the Spirit of the Lord, and he then begins to wonder what will become of Zion. Whenever you, my fellow laborers, feel there is something wrong with the Church, go into your secret places and kneel down before the Lord, examine your heart, and you will find every time that there is something in your own life that occasions doubt; the tempter is working on your mind, causing you to feel that perhaps Zion will not be victorious. Whenever you are doing your full duty, you will know, as you know that you live, that it is our Father’s work, and that He will bring it off triumphant.”
  • April 1905 General Conference
    • Providence from God
      • “The spirit which Inhabits the body is not the product of man, and when that spirit leaves the body we believe that it goes back to the source from whence it came.”
      • “But there was another purpose. It required in the providence of our Father a pure and spotless person to find the way of the resurrection. Jesus Christ was a man without sin. By reason of His purity, His uprightness and His virtue, He was able to unlock the doors of the prison, to overcome -death and the grave, and pioneer the way for His fellow creatures unto that heaven where we expect to go.”
      • “Many have admitted that He was a great and good man, but they have desired to rob Him of the divinity of His birth. Fortunately, however, for the Latter-day Saints, we have received a witness that these things are true; and in addition to that, we have received the testimony that He came to this western hemisphere, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, and ministered unto the Nephites upon this continent. He did not come this time as a little child, but He came in the clouds of heaven; and His coming was proclaimed by a voice that penetrated to the very center of every person that dwelt in the land. He came this time as a man from heaven, and they saw Him come. They knew that He was the Christ, for His coming had been predicted by their prophets. He gave to them the same organization that existed in the Church at Jerusalem. He taught them that they must be baptized, as He had been, by those having authority to officiate in that ordinance. This was not the word of an ordinary man; it was the word of the Son of God, who had ascended to His Father, and who had come back again, that the children of men might have another testimony added to the number that had already been given to them.”
      • “You are not dependent alone upon history, nor upon the teachings of any man, to know that this is the work of the Lord, because you have had it burned into your souls by the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
      • “We should look into our own lives and discover if we are prepared for that great future life, if we were called hence tomorrow whether we would be prepared to give an account for our earthly deeds; whether we can feel that we would receive from our Heavenly Father the welcome plaudit of “Well done, good and faithful servant.””
  • October 1904 General Conference
    • No Need to be Ashamed
      • “I say, is it for these things that anyone should be ashamed of Utah? No place upon our Father’s footstool will you go today where you will find more patriotic, home-loving, God-fearing people in proportion to the inhabitants than you will find among the valleys of these everlasting hills.”
      • “I rejoice, my brethren and sisters, to be numbered with you. Our Father has given us a great mission among the children of men. And while our brothers and sisters of other faiths are doing, in most cases, what they believe to be right and proper, the Creator has given us a special calling, and He has admonished us to perform that duty with kindness, love and charity.”
      • “No matter how gifted we may be, or how choice our language, it is the Spirit of our Father that reaches the heart and brings conviction of the divinity of this work.”
      • “Our mission in the world is to save souls, to bless them, and to place them in a condition that they may go back into the presence of our Father, crowned with glory, immortality and eternal life. If they do not understand it in this world, we have the witness from our Father that they will understand it in the life to come. Let us day by day so minister in the flesh that men seeing our good works, may glorify our Father which is in heaven, that when our life shall go out it may be said of us that the world is better for our having lived in it.”
  • April 1904 General Conference
    • Divinity of the Work
      • “When our Father in heaven speaks to the world, no matter how feeble or weak the servant may be who carries the message, that word will be vindicated, even if it involves the destruction of many souls.”
      • “The responsibility for the conduct of this work does not devolve alone upon President Joseph F. Smith, nor upon his counselors, nor upon the quorum of the Apostles; but it devolves also upon every man and woman who has been baptized by the servants of God and become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every man who has received the Priesthood must set his house in order, and so conduct his life that men, seeing his good works, may glorify our Father which is in heaven.”
      • “Grateful should we be that our Father in heaven has given us a testimony of the divinity of this work; and it should be our life’s labor to so conduct ourselves that we will not bring reproach upon it. Those who are beginning to pass the meridian of life, those gray-haired men and women who sit before me today, who have borne the burden in the heat of the day, who came into this country when it was a howling wilderness, have received from our Heavenly Father a testimony that burns in their hearts, and they know, as they know that they live, that the Gospel is true. And this same blessing has been given to their children when those children have sought it.”
      • “Now, as to our friends who are not of our faith, we should follow the admonition: pray for those who persecute you, and despitefully use you. Remember that you have a testimony of this work, which they have not. Some day, when we all present ourselves,as we expect to do, before the bar of God to answer for the deeds done in the body, then will our brothers and sisters of the world, who now think we are deluded and mistaken, find that our lives have been spent for the salvation of their souls, that our ministry has had in it only love and kindness for our fellow men, and that we would have given unto them a blessing had they been willing to receive it.”

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