George F. Richards

George F. Richards

President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (May 21, 1945 – August 8, 1950)

Acting Presiding Patriarch (October 8, 1937 – October 3, 1942)

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (April 9, 1906 – August 8, 1950)

General Conference Addresses

April 1950 General Conference
- This Is My Work and My Glory
  - “As Latter-day Saints, the goal of our existence and purpose in life is to obtain an exaltation in the kingdom and presence of the Father and the Son; and a man may not attain to that glory without receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood. This being true the importance of receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood by the men of the Church is as important as is salvation itself.”
  - “That there are living among us many people who need what we have to offer—the gospel message—there can be no question from the fact that they are being converted in great numbers within the stakes and wards of the Church. The souls of these inactive members and nonmembers among us are as precious as the souls of people in foreign countries and in the islands of the seas where our missionaries are laboring.”
October 1949 General Conference
- God so Loved the World
  - “Taking these two quotations together, we see the gift of the Father and of the Son to the world, of all that the atonement meant of mental and physical suffering in life, and in his death upon the cross, of which it can be said in truth, that as a gift to mankind it was the greatest ever given; a sacrifice, the greatest ever made; a service, the greatest ever rendered; a demonstration of love such as is possessed only by the Gods.”
  - “The works of Joseph Smith and the spirit that prompted them live on in the hearts and lives of his followers who are numbered by the hundreds of thousands now living and have influenced the lives of other hundreds of thousands who have gone to their reward.”
October 1948 General Conference
- The World’s Great Need
  - “Whatever Joseph’s views or understanding pertaining to the personality of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ may have been, he now had a perfect knowledge on that point. He had not before entertained the thought that all the creeds or denominations might be wrong, but on these two points his mind was now clear and at ease.”
April 1948 General Conference
- Tithing
  - “The Church is accomplishing wonders today with the tithes and offerings of its members. A more wonderful work could be accomplished, and the poor of the Church be better cared for, if the members were all to pay an honest tithe, hence our appeal at this time.”
October 1947 General Conference
- Obedience, the Way of Exaltation
  - “We should strive to be in the image of God in principle and in conduct as well as in form. We should be orthodox in our thinking, our understanding, our teachings, and in our living.”
  - “As a being of power, intelligence, and love, and the Lord of his own thoughts, man holds the key to every situation, and contains within himself that transforming, regenerating agency, by which he may make himself what he wills.”
  - “I am a better and happier man because of my religion and its influence upon my life. I would have been a better and happier man than I am, had I lived more in accord with the precepts of my religion, the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
April 1947 General Conference
- “Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness”
  - “We do not knowingly injure whom we love. No one loves a character assassin. By the Spirit of God one is led to love his fellow men and to speak well of them, magnifying their virtues.”
October 1946 General Conference
- Love for Mankind
  - “The Prophet Joseph tells us that we were all present in the spirit, intelligent beings able to sit in council with the Gods. We must have been living in love and helpfulness under those conditions, and the fact of our having come to earth should not change our thoughts and our feelings. We ought to love one another just the same here as when we lived in love and happiness in our heavenly home.”
April 1946 General Conference
- Truth Will Prevail
  - “Those Latter-day Saints who are living their religion do have peace to their souls, and those who are not living their religion I am afraid that their souls are frequently very much disturbed. This is one of the great blessings that the Lord has for the faithful of his children, peace to the soul.”
  - “Persecution is, and always has been, a heritage of the Saints of God. Men and women have gone about the country, in this and in other lands, lecturing against the Church and its leaders. Magazine articles and books by the score, of a venomous and libelous character, have been written, published, and circulated against us. Apostates from the Church have opposed it in various ways, while the work of the Lord against which their fiery darts have been directed, goes steadily forward.”
  - “Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins which have been repented of.”
October 1945 General Conference
- On Keeping the Commandments
  - “May the Lord bless you, my brethren and sisters, and all of us, with faith to pay our tithing honestly, to give our offerings generously, and to maintain our integrity to the truth and help carry on the work to the end.”
April 1945 General Conference
- Admonition
  - “The blessings of the temple are of inestimable value. The goal of our existence, that of eternal life and exaltation, cannot be attained without them, but to receive these blessings, we must enter into solemn covenants of faithfulness.”
  - “Many members of the Church, young and old, through carelessness and thoughtlessness, are pursuing a course in life that will surely be a great sorrow to them in the future, and to those who love them most, if they do not change their course. And even should they in the future repent, and mend their ways, they may, like Saul of Tarsus, forever after have a thorn in the flesh. My sympathy goes out to all such, and I would like to help them to see and choose the better way.”
October 1944 General Conference
- Living All Truth
  - “There is satisfaction in having been right, and disappointment in having been wrong on any question which we may have considered; especially is that true where others have considered the same question and their views and ours differ. The more important the question under consideration, the greater the satisfaction if right, and the greater the disappointment if wrong.”
April 1944 General Conference
- Gospel Thoughts
  - “If every man who has received the Gospel were to regard himself as a missionary for the Lord, as the Lord intends he should be, and then discharge himself conscientiously and fully of that responsibility, there would be an accomplishment in missionary work, exceeding anything we have in the Church today.”
October 1943 General Conference
- Priesthood Obligations
  - “If by bearing this Priesthood and magnifying it before the Lord, we may have all that our Father possesses, eternal life and exaltation in the Celestial Kingdom, what more can He offer as inducement and reward for magnifying the Priesthood?”
April 1943 General Conference
- Valiant in the Covenants
  - “When we embraced the gospel by baptism, by that act we covenanted that we would keep the commandments of God. When we received the Priesthood, by that act we covenanted to magnify that Priesthood, and when we received these various positions which grow out of the Priesthood, and which we as a part of the ministry have received, it has been usually with a promise on our part that we will magnify that calling to the best of our ability. That comes in the nature of a solemn covenant made before the Lord and His servants and should not be regarded lightly on our part.”
  - “Our liberty and our freedom came from the Lord, and, where it is necessary, we must fight to maintain that freedom, and liberty, and peace. It is only reasonable to believe that the Lord intends that these things be preserved unto us, if only we will be worthy and keep His commandments.”
October 1942 General Conference
- Our Aspirations and Covenants
  - “We have to enter into covenants of faithfulness; and any man who desires to be faithful and intends to be faithful in keeping the commandments of God will not be afraid to make covenants of faithfulness.”
April 1942 General Conference
- The Importance of Genealogical and Temple Work
  - “To my mind one of the greatest and grandest and the most glorious of all the labors that anyone can be engaged in is laboring for the salvation of the souls of their loved ones, their ancestors who have gone before, who had not the privilege of listening to the gospel and embracing it.”
October 1941 General Conference
- Faith
  - “Faith being the foundation of all righteousness, we may conclude logically that our unrighteousness is due to a lack of faith.”
  - “If we had the faith that we should have, that our Father in heaven expects of us, there is no requirement made of us but that we would gladly respond to it; and the blessings held out to us we would take advantage of.”
October 1940 General Conference
- Evidences of Truth
  - “If we ever attain to a fulness of glory it must be by the keeping of the commandments of the Lord, by living by every word that proceedeth forth from His mouth. We must have faith in order to do so.”
  - “We look at a man of fine physique and personality and admire him, but we do not know his real worth until we become acquainted with him and learn that he is a man of character, a man of integrity to truth and the principles of righteousness, and then we love him more dearly.”
April 1940 General Conference
- Live As We Should
  - “Do we really feel it a pleasure to serve the Lord in His appointed way, which means, of course, sacrifice and self-denial? Do we love to obey His commands, to keep His commandments? Brethren and sisters, are we wholly consistent? Do we think of these things seriously? They are the weightier matters, things that pertain to eternity. If we obtain an exaltation, for which we are candidates, it will be not for believing in these principles: It will be for living them, as the Lord designed that we should.”
  - “I want to tell you, brethren and sisters, that we rob ourselves of much of the joy we might have in this life, through a guilty conscience, a consciousness that our course of life is not approved of the Lord.”
October 1939 General Conference
- Obey The Will of God
  - “When we fail to keep the commandments of God we let down the bars and show our weakness unto the evil one, who is always on the alert to take advantage. Brethren and sisters, the only safe course for us to take who are candidates for the blessings of salvation and eternal life is to live by every word that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God.”
  - “We are not here on the earth for selfish purposes, nor for our own personal aggrandizement, we are not here to acquire the wealth of this world. We are here for the purpose of working out our salvation according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to make every preparation necessary for the life to come, and to assist the Lord in his work and purposes to save the souls of his children, whose souls are precious in his sight.”
  - “For the love we have for God and our Savior and for our own sake, brethren and sisters, and for the good example it will be to the children of men with whom we associate, in the Church and without, may we be true and faithful and keep the commandments of the Lord, obey every law, seek to know his will, and do it under all circumstances and conditions.”
April 1939 General Conference
- Learn from Experience
  - “It is said that experience is a dear school, but that fools will learn in no other. I shall not undertake to say how much of truth there is in that saying, but it does have the effect of calling our attention to the fact that we should, as intelligent, wise men and women, profit by the experiences of others.”
  - “It does not pay in religious matters, matters that pertain to our eternal salvation, to be indifferent, neutral, or lukewarm.”
October 1938 General Conference
- A Testimony
  - “If we as members of this Church will just live up to the precepts the teachings and the standards of this Church, the favor of heaven will be upon us in life, and we will attain to the blessings of eternal life and exaltation, and no mortal man can comprehend the magnitude and the greatness of the blessings in store for us.”
April 1938 General Conference
- To Be of Service
  - “Those who have buttoned up their pockets, who have closed their hearts against the needs of their fellowmen, living entirely selfish lives, they may expect the words of the Judge of all: “Depart from me, ye cursed.””
  - “The greatest service that we can render, the most helpful to our fellowmen and to ourselves and to our God is helping men and women to find out the way of life and salvation, to know what salvation is, of what it consists, and how it may be attained, and to encourage them by teaching them the word and will of the Lord, to accept of the same, and to walk in newness of life in the path which is straight and narrow, and leads unto life everlasting.”
October 1937 General Conference
- Fulfilling Our Duties
  - “In the mercy and justice of God, our Eternal Father, this Gospel will be taught unto all men. Those who have not had the privilege of hearing it in the earth, have the privilege of hearing it hereafter, and inasmuch as there are ordinances to be received necessary to man’s salvation, provision has been made in the Gospel, that all who are living shall, by genealogical research, find out and know their ancestors who are dead, and go into the temples of the Lord and there redeem them, by receiving for them those saving ordinances vicariously.”
  - “There is an abundance in this world and to spare. The Lord has so said by revelation. Those of us who are fortunate should look to the unfortunate, for that is religion pure and undefiled. We ought to be willing to divide what we have, whether it be much or little, in order to prevent suffering among the children of men.”
April 1937 General Conference
- The Atonement
  - “Jesus not only died for his faith and for us but he lived for it too, and for us he endured mental and bodily pain and anguish of soul beyond the power of mortal luan to understand or to endure.”
October 1936 General Conference
- First Principles and Ordinances
  - “One of the conditions of salvation is a belief in God the Eternal Father and in his Son Jesus Christ as they are, also a belief in the efficacy of the atoning blood of Jesus Christ.”
  - “The subject of repentance follows faith in logical sequence, and is one of the most comforting of all the principles of the Gospel. By repentance our sins, though they may have been as scarlet, may be washed white as wool, through the blood of the Lamb of God.”
  - “The Holy Ghost will not dwell in unholy tabernacles. But when a man has repented of his sins and has had them washed away in baptism, he is without sin and worthy to receive the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.”
April 1936 General Conference
- The Righteous Life
  - “The righteous life inspires love of God and of fellow men and opens the avenue of communication and help from the Lord, which is so necessary to success in effectual service.”
October 1935 General Conference
- The Will of the Lord
  - “We are here, brethren and sisters, not only to be proven to see whether we will keep all of God’s commandments, but to see whether we will do his will and permit the authorities of the Church to interpret his mind and will to us. Is not that consistent?”
April 1935 General Conference
- Love for Mankind
  - “We have the truths of the everlasting Gospel. It is our responsibility to bring it to the attention of mankind in the most kind, impressive and forceful way that we may be able to do, under the impress of the Spirit of the Lord, which it will be our right and privilege to have and enjoy when engaged in this sacred ministry.”
October 1934 General Conference
- Temple Work
  - “We are all taught to observe prayers—in secret, prayers in the family, prayers in our public worship. The prayer of an honest, faithful man availeth much with the Lord. Prayers of many faithful men and women, centered upon the same object and purpose, must avail much more with the Lord.”
  - “We should awaken, go forth, and do our duty. God expects it of us. Saving the dead is just as important as preaching the Gospel abroad and bringing the living into the fold.”
October 1933 General Conference
- Missionary Work
  - “Every man that has been born in the flesh came with a definite understanding that he was to work out his salvation according to the plan of the Gospel, that he might attain the blessings of eternal life and exaltation. It involves the acceptance of certain principles, the receiving of certain ordinances, the obeying of the laws of God, the keeping of his commandments, the making of sacrifice, the rendering of service, the denying ourselves of that which is evil, the acceptance of that which is good.”
April 1933 General Conference
- The Preexistence
  - “We know that by reason of the relationship we sustain to God our Heavenly Father and to our fellow men we should love them—love the Lord with all our heart and that sincerely, and love our fellow men and serve them, because they are in very deed our brothers and our sisters.”
October 1932 General Conference
- Supporting the Poor
  - “There is, then, much that we can do to help to alleviate the distress and suffering that are among the people today. God has graciously made provision in his Church for every condition that might arise. It is for us to carry out his purposes according to his jplanning; then would the wisdom of the wise men perish, and the understanding of their prudent men be hid, jin the light of the accomplishment of this, God’s work.”
April 1932 General Conference
- Preaching the Gospel
  - “There are ways and means, and I believe that God expects us to be thoughtful men who have charge of this work in the mission field and at home. I think we can perhaps do better than we have been doing, and, brethren and sisters, all this means that we wash our hands clean of the blood of this generation, for we are as watchmen upon the towers. Our responsibility is to warn the wicked and to call them to repentance and to preach this Gospel of the kingdom to those who are in spiritual darkness.”
October 1931 General Conference
- The Holy Ghost
  - “Every Latter-day Saint who is faithful, having accepted the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel, having had the Holy Ghost conferred upon him, if he is true to these things, will know the truth when he reads it or when he hears it spoken.”
April 1931 General Conference
- The Word of Wisdom
  - “Men and women, boys and girls, who have been born in this Church of faithful, true, Latter-day Saints, are under obligation to their parents to honor them; and when we do not keep the Word of Wisdom but indulge in these things, we not only do not honor them, but we dishonor them, and that we have no right to do.”
October 1930 General Conference
- Working for the Salvation of Others
  - “Every man and woman that in sincerity has received the Gospel was at the time of entering the Church a righteous man or woman. Have we held them in righteousness?”
April 1930 General Conference
- Salvation
  - “The greatest service one can render to his fellowman is that of assisting him to obtain salvation. Such is the character, directly or indirectly, of all our church work, including the work of the home ministry and that of the ministry abroad. It is pure religion and undefiled. Its importance calls for our very best efforts, as individuals and as a church.”
  - “The Gospel truth never has been generally accepted. It is a standard of life that is too high for most folks to live. Jesus Christ is the only person who through life lived up to the Gospel standards in all respects and at all times. The best of saints are but striving to walk in the footsteps of the Master. Many have not the courage to undertake it and therefore do not embrace the Gospel.”
October 1929 General Conference
- The Battle With Satan
  - “There are some who seem to be willing to be the emissaries of this great being, Satan, to assist him in his work. It is a notable fact that those who have arraigned themselves against God’s work and purposes, fire their darts at the head of the Church; and we have a great many people now, some in the Church and some outside, who are trying their utmost to destroy the influence of the President of this Church; and I believe at the bottom of it they would destroy this work if possible.”
  - “The Lord knows best and if we will listen to the promptings of his Holy Spirit and live our religion, we shall not be deceived, but shall know the truth, whether written or spoken, for we will be on firm footing.”
April 1929 General Conference
- Tithing
  - “We may not be called upon to make such great sacrifices but we are called upon to give one-tenth of our interest annually as a tithe with which to assist in carrying on the work of the Lord, looking to the saving of souls; and sacrifices of this kind bring forth the blessings of heaven: I have proved it. Others have proved it. I know it is true. It brings a peace, a joy, a hope, and an assurance of the blessings of the Lord and his favor that scarcely anything else will do.”
  - “No man who ever became a member of this Church has fully paid the debt of obligation that he owes to God and to this Church and his religion, no matter how faithful he may have been.”
  - “It is only those who understand these things and have not the faith to yield obedience and make the sacrifices that the Gospel entails, who are unhappy or disappointed in any degree. We cannot afford, brethren and sisters, to be indifferent in this great work or to neglect a single duty.”
October 1928 General Conference
- Testimony of the Restoration
  - “I bear my testimony to you, my brethren and sisters, that I do know of the truth of this work. It is God’s work. It is his plan instituted in heaven from before the foundation of the world, the only plan that God has instituted, the only plan that has in it the power of God unto salvation unto those who obey. I pray God that he may help us, for we need his help on every hand, that we who have embraced the gospel may remain true and faithful.”
April 1928 General Conference
- The Restoration
  - “Joseph Smith being a prophet, this visitation being true, the things that were told to the Prophet Joseph by the Son of God must also be true—that there had been a falling away. That did not mean that just a few apostatized from the Church. It has always been that way ; in every dispensation there are some that fall away. There had been a general or universal apostasy from the truth. That is the word of our Lord and Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the testimony of these witnesses is a testimony of that fact.”
October 1927 General Conference
- Repentance
  - “We must have that faith that will lead us to forsake evil and wrong-doing of every kind, to repent of our sins, to right the wrongs which we have done, as far as it lies in our power, and to forgive our fellowmen who have trespassed against us, even as we desire to be forgiven.”
April 1927 General Conference
- Faith to be Righteous
  - “If we had sufficient faith, my brethren and sisters, I feel sure that there would be no doubt in regard to our salvation. Faith is the moving cause of all action. It is the foundation of all righteousness, and righteousness is the thing that is going to save men and women in the kingdom of God.”
October 1926 General Conference
- Growing in Faith
  - “How are we then to obtain this blessing, for faith is indeed a blessing from God to those who enjoy it? We must try to live in his favor, and when we are living righteous lives, according to our conception of what is right, being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and conscientious, the Lord will help us to that blessing as to all other blessings, for all blessings cometh from God.”
  - “I believe it is a great weakness of the membership of this Church that we do not search the scriptures more than we do, because I am sure if we would do so we would have more faith, and the requirements made upon us by the gospel would be easier for us to comply with.”
April 1926 General Conference
- Gratitude
  - “If we appreciate the great blessings that have come to us through the gospel, let us never forget our obligation to render thanksgiving to our Father in Heaven for them, in the name of Jesus Christ. Morning and night is not too often.”
October 1925 General Conference
- A Testimony of Christ
  - “If I do not love my brother, I fear my love of God and of Christ as the Savior and Redeemer of the world is wanting, and I do know that salvation is the thing above all other things that I desire and that we all should desire.”
  - “We must accept him as the Savior and the Redeemer of mankind. No man can be saved without this faith in Jesus Christ. That means that many men and women are going to be greatly disappointed in the end when they learn the whole truth.”
April 1925 General Conference
- The Great Commandments
  - “I sincerely regret my imperfections and follies of life, and trust that my repentance may be genuine and enduring that my sins may be forgiven. I desire to yield obedience unto every requirement of the gospel and to do the will of the Lord in all things and to use my influence with others persuading them to do likewise.”
  - “I ought so to love mankind that I would be willing to go to the ends of the earth in the preaching of this gospel of the kingdom to them.”
October 1924 General Conference
- The Gospel
  - “The gospel is the law of life as lived by the Savior. It made him what he was and is, and it is designed to make us like him and to save us with him. It is the highest possible standard of life—the straight gate and the narrow way.”
April 1924 General Conference
- Temple Marriage
  - “Temple marriages, however, are civil marriages in that they comply with all the requirements of the civil law; but temple marriages have other important elements in them that the civil marriage, performed outside of the temples, have not.”
  - “The ceremony is of that character making the man and the woman husband and wife for time and for all eternity, so that these civil marriages, after all, are, we might say, but trial marriages; and it would seem so from the fact that there are so many of our Church members who accept of a civil marriage ceremony before coming to the temple, and then later come to the temple to be sealed.”
October 1923 General Conference
- Salvation for the Dead
  - “My motive is, in speaking these few words this afternoon, brethren and sisters, that I might inspire in the minds of some of my brethren and sisters who have been neglectful of this responsibility, a desire and a determination to take up this work, to learn where their responsibilities lie, and to discharge themselves faithfully of these responsibilities, while they have the opportunity.”
April 1923 General Conference
- Knowledge and Salvation
  - “If we, the Latter-day Saints, were to read the scriptures as our Father in heaven desires that we should do, we would be better informed in regard to his mind and will concerning us. We would receive strength of spirit to live more fully the commandments which he has given us, and by the living of those commandments we would obtain the blessing of eternal life.”
  - “All our unrighteousness is due to the want of faith If we had the faith that we ought to have as Latter-day Saints, there is nothing that need be done that we could not do.”
  - “Faith in itself will not save us. Knowledge in itself will not save us. Men have to have knowledge in order to be condemned as well as to be saved.”
  - “The Latter-day Saints are well taught, I say, and if they will do as well as they know, they will obtain salvation; and if they do not do as well as they know, condemnation will certainly follow, for this gospel which we have received is as a savor of life unto life and of death unto death, unto those unto whom it comes.”
October 1922 General Conference
- Church and State
  - “I believe that the downfall of governments and the destruction of nations is a natural result from a disregard for law and government and for the principles of righteousness.”
  - “I do not think that the Church should undertake to control, or to dictate in state affairs, or vice versa, but I do think that the Church and the State alike, should strive to make the people, the citizens of the nation, and the membership of the Church, an industrious, prosperous, law abiding, peaceable, and righteous people. The Church needs the protection which the state or the government affords, and the government needs the influence of the Church upon the lives and conduct of its citizens.”
April 1922 General Conference
- Learning from History
  - “Our understanding is not that we are here upon the earth for the purpose of accumulating the wealth of this world, with which to purchase the luxuries and pleasures of life. Our purpose here is more exalting, these other things, temporal, being but a means to a nobler end.”
  - “It has been a weakness of mankind, from the beginning, that we will not profit by the experiences of others; we must experience these things ourselves.”
October 1921 General Conference
- The Purpose of Our Being
  - “A wonderful work is being accomplished in the midst of the people, and we have the evidence in the organization of the Church, in the perfected state it is in at the present time, in the organization of the Sunday schools, the auxiliary associations, the quorums of the Priesthood, and in onr temples. In all this work we have the evidence that God has not forsaken his people since the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith.”
April 1921 General Conference
- Faithfulness
  - “The tithing is an index of the faithfulness of the individual. I am sure that the Lord manifests his pleasure to the individual who is making the required sacrifice for the onward progress of his work, and for the salvation of his children and such is the character and the work being done by the Latter-day Saints.”
  - “It is better to feed the soul of a man or woman than to feed the body, to minister unto their spiritual and eternal needs and welfare rather than to their physical. The body must perish soon anyway.”
October 1920 General Conference
- Doing our Duty
  - “What we most need, it seems to me, my brethren and sisters, is to be impressed with the necessity of doing the things that we know we ought to do. We are well enough educated as a people. We know what we should do in order to obtain salvation; and because we know these things, if we do not do them, we will be under condemnation.”
  - “In this great work, if I, through the help of the Lord, shall be successful in saving my own soul, it will be through works of righteousness, through a good example which will be helpful, and no person will be deprived of the blessings he is laboring for because of my success, but just the reverse, he will be helped along the way.”
- Closing Remarks
  - “This gospel is a “savor of life unto life, or of death unto death” unto those to whom it comes. The hearing of the word is just as much our condemnation, if we neglect to accept and live by it, as it is our salvation if we accept and live by the word of the Lord.”
April 1920 General Conference
- The Last Dispensation
  - “In view of the importance of this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, it is only reasonable to believe that our Father would reserve one of the greatest of those noble spirits who were faithful in their previous state of existence, to come forth and lead the people of this dispensation as his mouthpiece and prophet. This we believe was done, and that Joseph Smith was one of the greatest prophets that ever lived, and that his life’s work was one of the greatest that ever a prophet accomplished.”
October 1919 General Conference
- Missionary Work and War
  - “It is my firm belief that as a result of the war and the victory to the Allies that the doors of nations hitherto closed against us to the preaching of the gospel, will be opened and that we will be permitted to enter into those new fields and into fields which have been restricted in the past, and preach the everlasting gospel. This will help compensate for the loss sustained.”
- War and Peace
  - “I am sure that had the energies of all the men and money employed in waging the war been directed towards bettering conditions for humanity in ways indicated by the gospel of Jesus Christ, instead of war and all its attendant sorrows, sufferings, and losses, we would have had universal peace and good will throughout the world.”
  - “If the world would obey the gospel and adopt these principles and live by them it would mean peace to individuals, peace to the world, and would bring to men glory, exaltation and eternal life.”
April 1916 General Conference
- Eternal Life and Salvation
  - “If you can find a people who have not rejected Jesus Christ as the Son of God in the flesh, the Messiah, the Savior and Redeemer of the world, then we will not question their right to be called Christians; but, we do not acknowledge those as Christians who deny Him in part or whole of what He is.”
- Convincing Testimony
  - “As for the Latter-day Saints, we know better than we do, and have need of being impressed with the necessity for doing as well as we know.”
  - “It is one thing to give intellectual assent unto the commandments of the Lord, and another to obey the same. It is the obedience that counts for righteousness and for salvation.”
  - “If our lives were consistent with our profession of faith, it would go a long way toward removing this prejudice and preparing the way for effective sowing of the seeds of truth, to the honor and glory of the Lord and the salvation of His children.”
October 1915 General Conference
- The Little Things
  - “The little things of life, such as the saying of our prayers, are important. Are we trving to go through life without the help of our Heavenly Father, expecting to obtain a salvation?”
April 1915 General Conference
- Faith of the Saints
  - “At any rate, we, as Latter-day Saints are on the sure side, as we have all that others accept of truth and many more truths, principles, and ordinances than they have. Indeed, this work which we have espoused, commonly known as “Mormonism,” embraces all truth and all good. There is no truth or good that is not included in our religion, and there is nothing but truth and good included in it; and these facts will be known to the world of mankind in time, if not at the present.”
  - “The promise is that the truth shall be understood by the true individual, he whose heart is true before God, if he will seek with honest heart and purpose to know the truth, shall find it.”
- Righteous Living
  - “We preach the Gospel in the world, and tell the people that something more than faith is necessary to salvation. His commandments must be obeyed.”
  - “The hope we have in Christ, my brethren and sisters, is that we will obtain salvation, not by neglecting these duties, not by disregarding the commandments of the Lord, but by being true and faithful in keeping them all, and in laboring for the salvation of others.”
  - “I feel that it is true religion and undefiled that we minister to the souls of men, for their salvation, at home as well as abroad, and in this ministry we establish ourselves in the faith, and anchor our souls in salvation.”
October 1914 General Conference
- Unity of the Saints
  - “I think that the lack of faith on the part of many people in the Church, and out of the Church, is due to the fact that they have not given clue attention to these things. I understand that faith comes by hearing, for so the scriptures teach. Or, in other words, as I would interpret it, faith comes by investigation.”
  - “If investigation is going to give us faith, we need to investigate, we need to study we need to pray, and it is just as true that if we would receive the witness of the Spirit of God, we must obey and act, we must receive those things which are offered unto us.”
- Peace and Happiness
  - “The comfort that comes to all men and women who are devoting themselves in righteousness to the services of the Lord, and for the good of their fellowmen is inestimable. They receive that peace, joy and hope that cannot be purchased with the wealth of the world.”
  - “Those who love the people, sorrow for their sins and rejoice in their righteousness.”
April 1914 General Conference
- New Revelation
  - “There can only be one true Gospel of the Redeemer, according to the Scriptures, having in it the power of God unto salvation, and we have strong evidences that the Gospel which we teach is that particular Gospel.”
October 1913 General Conference
- Free Agency
  - “We have a message to those who have not united themselves with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a message of peace, of good will and of salvation, if they will but receive it. We would not if we could, force our views upon them and oblige them to join with us in this work.”
April 1913 General Conference
- Duties to be Learned and Fulfilled
  - “Therefore let us learn our duties. Let us learn where the Lord would have us to go, what he would have us to do, how he would have us to speak, and let us do these things, regardless of what other men or peoples might think of us. Unless we have the courage to do right, to act conscientiously before God, we will not be accepted of Him.”
April 1912 General Conference
- Unimpeachable Evidences
  - “We have joy in contemplating these things, and we say to the world that there are a multitude of similar external evidences which will appeal to you if you will but investigate. No man can hope to find out the truth without investigation. No man can hope to find out God without investigation, but the promise is thai if we will turn unto Him, He will turn unto us; and if we ask in faith, and seek with a determination that when we obtain the light we will yield obedience to it, the Lord will lead us by His Spirit until we have a perfect knowledge and testimony of these things.”
October 1911 General Conference
- Thank God for the Gospel
  - “I thank the Lord that I have been able to see the truth, to love it and to obey it; notwithstanding the gospel requires that we deny ourselves many things which our carnal appetites and desires crave, and the gratification of which would give us a degree of pleasure. Notwithstanding it requires us to sacrifice, in some instances, association with parents, wives, husbands, children, friends, occupation and place among the people, and to sacrifice our time and means. I thank God for the gospel.”
April 1911 General Conference
- Integrity
  - “There are some enrolled in the Church who are in such a condition, I am sorry to say, that were they outside of the Church they could not be admitted.”
  - “We are judged, as a people, largely, by the conduct of the adherents to this faith, and the doctrines of the gospel; so that no man claiming a standing in the Church is at liberty to disregard the commandments of the Lord, to be a drunkard, or to be immoral, or otherwise set a bad example.”
  - “Some justify themselves in sitting down in idleness throughout the Sabbath day. We have all an opportunity to measure ourselves and see what we are, and how we compare with the standard given us by our great exemplar, the prototype to mankind, Jesus our Lord, and the doctrines which He taught. I exhort the Latter-day Saints to faithfulness, to be hearers of the word and doers also, and not hearers only, deceiving ourselves.”
October 1910 General Conference
- True Knowledge
  - “It is not that the gospel law is weak, or defective, or changeable, that the lives of those who profess to be saints of God are not always in strict harmony therewith. It must be remembered that, while the law is divine and perfect, and while those who have yielded to it are trying to reach the goal of perfection, yet they are more or less weak.”
April 1910 General Conference
- Responsibility of Parents
  - “Next to our own salvation, of interest to us, is the salvation of our children.”
  - “This is a law unto Zion forever; and we are commanded to teach our children to pray and to walk uprightly before God. This great responsibility rests upon us, and the love which parents ought to have for their children of itself ought to be sufficient incentive and inducement for them to put forth their best endeavors, and use their influence with their children, and properly teach them in the way that they should go.”
  - “If we are consistent Latter-day Saints, we are trying to live by the precepts of the Gospel; and if we are doing this in our homes, our children will come up in the way they should go, without a great deal of preceptive teaching. At any rate, our example before our children should harmonize with our precepts.”
October 1909 General Conference
- Our Duty to Work
  - “The Lord, through His prophet John, upon the Isle of Patmos, referred to a time when the everlasting Gospel would be restored by an angel from heaven. It was to be preached to every nation, kindred, tongue and people. We accept the visitation of the angel Moroni, the message which he brought, the Book of Mormon which contains the everlasting Gospel, and the revelations of the Lord to us since, as a fulfillment of that prediction, and we have accepted the great responsibility of preaching this Gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue and people, throughout the world. We have made efforts to this end. I hope that our efforts are accepted of the Lord. I sometimes wonder if we are doing all that He requires of us in this connection.”
  - “The Lord expects us to look around and see what can be done of our own accord, and devote ourselves to such work as we are capable and have opportunity of doing for the salvation of the children of men.”
  - “There should be no cowards among us. I sometimes think that we neglect our duty as teachers to our fellow men at home, because of cowardice. We are not as bold and courageous as we might be. There may be a cause for this. Perhaps, in some of us the testimony of the truth is not sufficiently grounded into our souls, and, perhaps, our course of life is not what it ought to be, and this condition closes our mouths; it humiliates and embarrasses us when we undertake the performance of our duties. So we ought to remain as faithful, at least, as we were when we came into the Church. Our lives should be worthy the emulation of all men, and thus bring glory to the name of the Lord and to His work.”
April 1909 General Conference
- The Kingdom of God
  - “This Church, then, and embryotic kingdom of God, is typical of the kingdom of our Father in heaven; and as no sinful thing can enter the kingdom of God in heaven, go where our Father is and enjoy celestial glory with Him and with our elder brother and Savior, so we cannot enter this preparatory kingdom in our sins, but every man and woman must of necessity repent of sin, with broken heart and contrite spirit, or they cannot obtain admission. If they have been admitted under any other conditions, they are still in their sins even though they may have yielded obedience to the ordinance of baptism, and though that ordinance may have been performed in the way the Lord has appointed, by immersion in water, and by one who has held the authority, their sins are not remitted; and though hands may be laid upon their heads to confer the Holy Ghost, the Holy Ghost has not come upon them, and the testimony has never been borne through the Holy Ghost to their souls concerning the truth of the work and the acceptance by the Lord of their course of life.”
  - “We are not yet perfect in this earthly kingdom, though it is our Father’s. Though we have repented of our sins, man is prone to do evil, even as the sparks fly upward. When we find ourselves overcome by that which is evil, the Lord requires that we will, with broken hearts and contrite spirits, undertake again to forsake those evils, return to them no more. With the Lord’s help we will finally succeed and triumph over evil.”
- Tithing
  - “We are told, in the revelations, that we must have an assurance that our course of life is approved of the Lord, or we can not exercise that faith which is necessary to take hold upon the blessings of eternal life. If I neglect to comply with the law, or only partially comply with the law, do I know that my course is approved of the Lord? Nay, verily, but the reverse; I would know better than any other man in the world that my course of life is not approved of the Lord; and it would be impossible for me to exercise faith sufficient to take hold upon the blessings of eternal life.”
  - “If we put it off until the end of the year, the temptation is greater: when we come to figure out what we justly owe to the Lord —one-tenth of all our interest—it looms up big before us.”
  - “We pray, “Lead us not into temptation;” the Lord expects us to help ourselves and avoid temptation.”
October 1908 General Conference
- Good Works Are the Sure Evidence of Faith
  - “If we were now living up to the light and knowledge that has come to us, our light would shine out in the nations, they would behold the power of God manifest among us, and see a people who would delight in works of righteousness, and who would eschew all evil. Had we lived fully up to this light the evils that have come to some of us through strong drink, and other evils, would have been averted.”
  - “The gospel of the Master is one of self-denial and self-sacrifice; it requires faith to enable men and women to make the sacrifices required, and to deny themselves the things which are forbidden by the gospel.”
  - “If I do not yield obedience to that law, I manifest that I do not believe the law.”
- Love to Do God’s Will
  - “I do feel that we should put forth an effort, greater than we have ever done before, to make obedience to the Word of Wisdom universal among us. If there are some who will complain that too much time of this conference has been given to a consideration of the Word of Wisdom, I will answer that no faithful Latter-day Saint, who has himself been yielding obedience to this requirement of the Lord, will make such complaint. Any person who speaks thus you may justly suspicion as not having observed this important revelation of the Lord.”
  - “If we are consistent, anything that the Lord expresses to us as His will, whether it be by written revelation or through the mouths of His servants in whom we have confidence, and whom we sustain, when we know what the will of the Lord is, and we fail to do it, with all our mind, might, and strength, we are under condemnation before the Lord, and are not acting according to the light He has given us.”
April 1908 General Conference
- The Plan of Salvation
  - “”Mormonism” comprises the great plan of the Creator, and there was no other plan instituted in Heaven for the accomplishment of this great work.If there were more than one plan we would find confusion in the work of the Lord, but there is not, consequently there is symmetry and beauty, and progress, as our brethern have testified during the meetings of this conference.”
  - “And so this Church has been built upon the rock of revelation; and it has met the storms; the rains have descended upon it; the floods have come and blown against it from every side; the blasts have not impaired it; it stands because it is founded upon a rock. Neither can these things disturb it,—all the falsehoods, the persecutions, the calumnies, anything or everything that the adversaries of righteousness may inaugurate or wage against this work, only have dashed against it; the winds have the effect of lifting it up and moving it forward.”
October 1907 General Conference
- Glorious Destiny of the Church
  - “I fear when persecutions cease, when those who are not of us cease to raise their voices and to use their pens against this great work, that we may become indifferent and forget our responsibilities.”
  - “I believe this to be a reliable report, and we may congratulate ourselves, as Latter-day Saints, that we are identified with the most Christianized Church in America, a Church which is destined to be acknowledged as the most Americanized Church in America. Why not? We have the principles of eternal truth, we have the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we teach it as He and His Apostles taught it. We have the organization with- all the officers as they existed in the primitive Church. We have the authority to preach this Gospel, and minister in its ordinances, for the salvation of the human family. We are here upon the land of Zion—America. Why should not the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints be regarded as the most Americanized church in the land? Such is its destiny.”
April 1907 General Conference
- Testimony Obtained by Obedience
  - “The Lord has borne record to every faithful son and daughter who has yielded obedience to the principles of the Gospel, that this work is true, that there is no other plan devised, no other way under heaven, by which mankind can obtain salvation and eternal life. There is no way to exaltation except by yielding obedience to the principles which are taught by the Latter-day Saints, revealed in this last dispensation through the prophet Joseph Smith, the same principles, in the same order, as they were taught by Jesus Himself, having the same saving power.”
  - “It is a rare thing to find a man in this Church, in full standing, who refuses to do anything that he is asked to do. Why? Because he has an intelligent understanding of the plan of life and salvation. He knows that it is God’s work, and that man does not elect himself to office, or assign to himself the part he is to perform in this kingdom, but every man who has heard the word and had the privileges of the Gospel is expected to give his time his talents, his means—all that he has, if need be—for the building up of the kingdom, the salvation of the human family, but he does not yield a blind obedience.”
  - “It is a mistaken idea, prevalent in the world, that the perpetuity of this work depends upon the authorities keeping the masses of the people in ignorance. The truth is the direct reverse, else why have we all these auxiliary organizations and quorums of priesthood in the church, for the education of the rising generation. Their being established in the faith depends upon their knowledge of the Gospel. Our greatest fear concerning our children in Zion is the possibility of their growing up in ignorance of the everlasting Gospel, for it is only that class—with few exceptions—who give up the faith. Possibly some who have had a little faith in the Gospel have been overcome by temptation and fallen from grace; they have not had enough faith to bring about repentance in their hearts, to humble themselves and regain their standing. It may be we have lost a few of our sons and daughters on this account, but we never see them uniting with other churches and denominations. They are sure we have the true Gospel and Church of Christ, with all its saving power. Respecting those who have received the testimony of the Gospel, our fear is that they may become indifferent, that they will not join the auxiliary organizations, and that they do not always receive at their firesides in their homes the instructions concerning this work that they should receive, and because they have not retained a knowledge of the Gospel their eyes may be blinded. But we do know that where our sons and daughters are virtuous and upright, and have a knowledge of the Gospel, that they love it; it appeals to their judgment and intelligence, and they will hardly lay down the truth for a falsehood.”
  - “There is no way to become members of this Church except through faith in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son Jesus Christ, and repentance from sin. We must confess our sins ; we must come forth with broken hearts and contrite spirits, and give evidence that our repentance is genuine, that we are sincere in what we are undertaking; when we have done this, and have yielded obedience to the principle of baptism, we receive as a result the forgiveness of sins. Then follows the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, and we receive light and intelligence, and the fulfillment of the promise of the Lord that we shall know of the doctrine; thus we are made better for. having received the Gospel, if we have been true to our covenants.”
October 1906 General Conference
- The Perfect Plan of Salvation
  - “The Gospel presents to us a most beautiful picture, and it seems to me that the picture was never quite so beautiful before, as it has presented itself to my mind during the meetings of this conference. The moral and religious code embraced in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, as taught by the Latter-day Saints, is of the highest character; it emanated from God Himself, from the heavens above, and Jesus Christ our Savior was the Great Exponent. The Gospel is without defect, it is a perfect plan; it is God’s own guide to a perfect life; and there is infinite power within it, the power to save those who will yield obedience to its precepts, ordinances, laws and doctrines.”
  - “It is offered for our salvation, but it is left with us to accept or reject it. The law is given; the plan is offered, but it will profit us nothing unless we accept it. The great mission work of our Savior, His atonement, will not profit us anything if we do not live the law, except that we are brought forth from the grave, as are all our Father’s children, for “as in Adam all die, so in Christ are all made alive.””
  - “We are not now so much in need of being taught the Gospel, and our duties as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as we are in need of being impressed with the necessity of living the law, according to the light and knowledge we have already received.”
  - “If all of us were living up to the high standard of the Gospel, even our enemies—those who fight against us—would have our love and prayers, for the Gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love our enemies, to pray for those who hate us and who despitefully use us.”
  - “There are foolish ones eagerly looking forward to ascertain what Babylon —”the mother of harlots, the whore of all the earth”—is going to introduce next among us, and they want to be the first to adopt it. The Latter-day Saints should remember they are to be the salt of the earth, the leaven with which the whole lump is to be leavened — the whole lump of humanity; that is the design and purpose of the Lord concerning us.”

Other Talks

Articles in Church Publications

Other Publications and Resources

Gospel Study

Gospel Study

George F. Richards

Leave a Reply Cancel reply