Quotes I like:
"One cannot complain of the strait and narrow path and not be that we even have a way at all."
Fear is "What if?" Faith is "Even if."
"If you want to get warm, you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet, you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into, the thing that has them."
~C. S. Lewis
“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
~Lao Tzu
“God left us the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation.”
~President Thomas S. Monson
"We are not called in this life to be successful in all things, we're called to be faithful in all things"
~Mother Teresa
"This is not a credit card church. You don't get the blessings then put forth the effort."
~Elder Rulon G. Craven
“This is not the end of the world but merely a test. A trial run for the Second Coming if you will—physically and spiritually. If you’ve been following the counsel from the prophet about ministering, emergency preparedness, and at-home Church, you have no need to fear, you passed the test.”
~President Dallin H. Oaks 3-14-2020
"The only way to conquer fear is through action."
~Suze Orman
We can be victims of circumstance or masters of our own fate, but make no mistake, we cannot be both.
"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."
~Oprah Winfrey
"Education is the difference between wishing you could help other people and being able to help them."
~President Russell M. Nelson
But now I am spiritual; for that which I am commanded to do, I do; and that which I am commanded not to allow, I allow not: for what I know is not right, I would not do; for that which is sin, I hate.
~JST Romans 7:15
As we learn to use our time wisely, we learn that diligence is more important than intelligence.
I believe that appreciation is a holy thing--that when we look for what's best in a person we happen to be with at the moment, we're doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we're participating in something sacred.
~Fred Rogers
"Physically walking WHERE Jesus walked is less important than walking AS He walked."
~President Thomas S. Monson
The fears we don't face become our limits.
"Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may be given a cactus, but you don't have to sit on it."
~Joyce Meyer
"In the morning when you rise unwillingly, remember this thought: I am rising to perform the work of a human being. Why am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the very things for which I exist? Or have I been made for this; to lie in my bed-clothes and keep myself warm?"
~Marcus Aurelius
“Our task is to become our best selves. One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final.”
~President Thomas S. Monson
It is what it is, but it will become what you make it.
“How we respond to the words of a living prophet when he tells us what we need to know, but would rather not hear, is a test of our faithfulness.”
~President Ezra Taft Benson
"I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience."
~Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
If you start soon enough, you won't have to run to catch up.
"I also urge you to have sincere prayers daily. God is your Father and he wants you to tell Him how you are doing. As you do this you will gain a stronger relationship with Him. You will be able to see His hand in your life more often. You will begin to know of His love for you. You will find a greater capacity to love others. I don't think it is possible to over estimate the power of sincere prayer."
~Elder Ryan Perazzo
"If we think about Jesus more during December, we are doing it wrong the other 11 months of the year."
~Bradley McBride
"Fear and Faith have something in common. They both ask us to believe in something we cannot see."
~Joel Osteen
If you find yourself a bit irritated or overwhelmed, it's a sign that you are spending less time with God and more time with this world.
~Divya David
"We need not worry if we can't simultaneously do all of the things that the Lord has counseled us to do. He has spoken of a time and a season for all things. In response to our sincere prayers for guidance, He will direct us in what should be emphasized at each phase of our life."
~Elder Richard G. Scott
“The Lord isn’t asking us to load up a handcart; He’s asking us to fortify our faith. He isn’t asking us to walk across a continent; He’s asking us to walk across the street to visit our neighbor. He isn’t asking us to give all of our worldly possessions to build a temple; He’s asking us to give of our means and our time despite the pressures of modern living to continue to build temples and then to attend regularly the temples already built. He isn’t asking us to die a martyr’s death; He’s asking us to live a disciple’s life.”
~President M. Russell Ballard
"This is our one and only chance at mortal life—here and now. The longer we live, the greater is our realization that it is brief. Opportunities come, and then they are gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. I plead with you not to let those most important things pass you by as you plan for that illusive and nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find joy in the journey—now."
~ President Thomas S. Monson
"The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it."
~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Don't save something for a special occasion. Every day of your life is a special occasion."
~President Thomas S. Monson
“The chief thing is to love others like yourself, that’s the chief thing, and that’s everything; nothing else is wanted…And yet it’s an old truth which has been told and retold a billion times — but it has not formed part of our lives!”
~Fyodor Dostoyevsky
The grass isn't greener on the other side. The grass is greener where you water it.
"I will focus on what I need to improve on instead of trying to place myself above others with what I'm good at."
~Gage Barker
"We cannot go to heaven in a feather bed. The Savior of the world entered after great pain and suffering. We, as servants, can expect no more than the Master. Before Easter there must be a cross. While we walk these paths which bring forth bitter sorrow, we can also walk those paths which yield eternal joy."
~President Thomas S. Monson, "The Paths Jesus Walked", Ensign, Liahona, May 1974
“Anne Morrow Lindbergh, in her book Gift from the Sea, says: ‘My life cannot implement in action all the demands of all the people to whom my heart responds.’ You will care for more things than you will be able to do things about. Wise selection of causes is one of the highest forms of the use of free agency that there is, and, really, one of the ways God tests our basic wisdom and our capacity to love.”
~Elder Neal A. Maxwell, speech delivered at Catalina Young Adult Conference, 23 Oct. 1972.
Forgiving doesn't imply that what someone did to you is okay, it simply means that you're not going to let what they did ruin your happiness.
"God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect. Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not. And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others—usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths. This drives us to create expectations for ourselves that are impossible to meet. As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does."
~President Dieter F Uchtdorf
"Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."
~Henry Van Dyke
"I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day."
~E.B. White
"None of us comes to this earth to gain our worth; we brought it with us."
~Sister Sheri Dew
"I promise you that all who faithfully attend to temple work will be blessed beyond measure. Your families will draw closer to the Lord, unseen angels will watch over your loved ones when satanic forces tempt them, the veil will be thin, and great spiritual experiences will distill upon this people."
~Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you."
~Mother Teresa
"What I learned at Church today: It's not about me. It's not about me. It's not about me. It's not about me. That about sums it up. I need to get off my bum and serve."
~Monique Luetkemeyer
"Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ’s Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9)."
~Brother Brad Wilcox
"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends and spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."
~Brian Dyson
"Your faith will perform miracles, especially when your hands and feet get involved. "
~President Spencer W. Kimball
Perfection is the enemy of completion.
With faith you can move mountains, with doubt you can create them.
"Never say there isn't time for a thing that ought to be done. If a thing is necessary, why, life is long enough to find a place for it."
~Mrs. Katy Scudder (Harriet Beecher Stowe)
Rules are the guidelines that steer us clear of troubling, frustrating, and entrapping situations.
"Once in an age, God sends to some of us a friend who loves in us, not a false imagining, an unreal character, but, looking through all the rubbish of our imperfections, loves in us the divine ideal of our nature,--loves, not the man that we are, but the angel that we may be."
~Harriet Beecher Stowe
If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying? If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?
"Remember: the heavens will not be filled with those who never made mistakes but with those who recognized that they were off course and who corrected their ways to get back in the light of gospel truth."
~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Generally speaking, the most miserable people I know are those who are obsessed with themselves; the happiest people I know are those who lose themselves in the service of others...By and large, I have come to see that if we complain about life, it is because we are thinking only of ourselves.”
~President Gordon B. Hinckley
"We are not perfect. The people around us are not perfect. People do things that annoy, disappoint, and anger. In this mortal life it will always be that way. Nevertheless, we must let go of our grievances. Part of the purpose of mortality is to learn how to let go of such things. That is the Lord’s way. Remember, heaven is filled with those who have this in common: They are forgiven. And they forgive."
~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"I have spoken over the years with many individuals who have told me, 'I have so many problems, such real concerns. I’m overwhelmed with the challenges of life. What can I do?' I have offered to them, and I now offer to you, this specific suggestion: SEEK HEAVENLY GUIDANCE ONE DAY AT A TIME. Life by the yard is hard; by the inch it’s a cinch. EACH OF US CAN BE TRUE FOR JUST ONE DAY—and then one more and then one more after that—until we’ve lived a lifetime guided by the Spirit, a lifetime close to the Lord, a lifetime of good deeds and righteousness. The Savior promised, 'Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.'"
~President Thomas S. Monson (emphasis is mine)
"Peace is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of Christ."
~Sheila Walsh
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”
~Abraham Lincoln
"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."
~Corrie Ten Boom
"Remember, a good attitude produces good results, a fair attitude fair results, a poor attitude poor results. We each shape our own life, and the shape of it is determined largely by our attitude."
~Elder M. Russell Ballard
"For me, the message that I’ve learned in my life is that it isn’t what happens to the woman, it’s what she does with what happens. If women learn what their strengths are, and if they stick with those strengths, their lives seem to be happy. If you keep the commandments, there’s a sense of peace but there’s also a sense of confidence that you can do what you set your mind to regardless of the obstacles."
~Sister Susan Easton Black
“Do not have your concert first, and then tune your instrument afterwards. Begin the day with the Word of God and prayer, and get first of all into harmony with Him.”
~Hudson Taylor
"If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut."
~Albert Einstein
"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother... Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children... What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
~Elder M. Russell Ballard
"The highest reward for a person's toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it."
~John Ruskin
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
~Mark Twain
"Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole live believing that it is stupid."
~Albert Einstein
The difference in life and school ~ In school you learn a lesson and then are given a test. In life you are given a test and then you learn a lesson.
"People should proceed with whatever work shows up on their path. It doesn’t have to be in Africa. It can be next door. All of us have little promptings. Don’t turn your back on them."
~Marilynn Clark
“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.”
~Edward Everett Hale
"Please don't nag yourself with thoughts of failure. Do not set goals far beyond your capacity to achieve. Simply do what you can do, in the best way you know, and the Lord will accept of your effort."
~President Gordon B. Hinckley
"Every man is a diary in which he writes one story while intending to write another. His humblest moment is when he compares the two."
~Elder Hugh B. Brown
"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacation with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change."
~Jim Rohn
"Nature does not hurry yet everything is accomplished."
~Lao Tzu
"Too often we get distracted by what's outside our control. The door to the past has been shut and the key thrown away. And you can't do anything about tomorrow; it is yet to come. However, tomorrow is determined by what you do today. So make today a masterpiece....This rule is even more important in life than in basketball. You have to apply yourself every day to become a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little bit better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better. Only then will you be able to approach being the best you can be."
~John Wooden
"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than the person to be loved."
~President Thomas S. Monson
"I love sleep. My life has the tendency to fall apart when I'm awake, you know?"
~Ernest Hemingway
"No one of us is less treasured or cherished of God than another. I testify that He loves each of us - insecurities, anxieties, poor self image, and all. He doesn't measure our talents or our looks; He doesn't measure our professions or our possessions. He cheers on every runner, calling out that the race is against sin, not against each other."
~Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
"Life is perfect for none of us. Rather than being judgmental and critical of each other, may we have the pure love of Christ for our fellow travelers in this journey through life. May we recognize that each one is doing her best to deal with the challenges which come her way, and may we strive to do our best to help out."
~President Thomas S. Monson
A smart person knows what to say. A wise person knows whether to say it or not.
"Cry, or curse, or call it unfair, but be grateful to the grave ~ that in this hurt, you're the one who received and not the one who gave."
~Carol Lynn Pearson
"Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't."
~Eleanor Roosevelt
“As we go about our daily lives, we discover countless opportunities to follow the example of the Savior. When our hearts are in tune with His teachings, we discover the unmistakable nearness of His divine help. It is almost as though we are on the Lord’s errand; and we then discover that, when we are on the Lord’s errand, we are entitled to the Lord’s help.”
~President Thomas S. Monson
"Don't expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong."
~Calvin Coolidge
"Pride is concerned with who is right. Humility is concerned with what is right."
~President Ezra Taft Benson
"Ideals are stars to steer by; they are not a stick to beat ourselves with."
~Sister Barbara B Smith
"Your future is as bright as your faith."
~President Thomas S. Monson
"Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming."
~Elder Dallin H. Oaks
"Revelation comes when we're acting and moving--not when we are being acted upon or sitting and waiting."
~Elder David A. Bednar
Fair isn't "everyone gets the same or equal", fair is "everyone gets what they need when they need it."
~Sister Rita Heywood
"When you have a problem, if you tell the truth, it becomes your past. If you tell a lie, it becomes your future."
~Rick Pitino
"Righteous character is a precious manifestation of what you are becoming. Righteous character is more valuable than any material object you own, any knowledge you have gained through study, or any goals you have attained no matter how well lauded by mankind."
~Elder Richard G Scott
Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles; it takes away today’s peace.
When God solves your problems, you have faith in His abilities; when God doesn't solve your problems He has faith in your abilities.
"We have a choice. We can seek for the bad in others. Or we can make peace and work to extend to others the understanding, fairness, and forgiveness we so desperately desire for ourselves. It is our choice, for whatever we seek, that we will certainly find."
~Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."
~John Wooden
"If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it."
~Anthony J. D'Angelo
“In the Church, we can give expression to every ability, every righteous desire, every thoughtful impulse. Whether a volunteer, father, home teacher, bishop, or neighbor, whether a visiting teacher, mother, homemaker, or friend—there is ample opportunity to give our all. And as we give, we find that ‘sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven!’And in the end, we learn it was no sacrifice at all.”
~President Spencer W. Kimball
Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart.
"We have nothing to fear but being unprepared."
~Glenn Beck
"In all of living have much fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured."
~President Gordon B. Hinckley
"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself; I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it."
~Groucho Marx
"You cannot be passive in life, or in time the natural man will undermine your efforts to live worthily. You become what you do and what you think about. Lack of character leads one under pressure to satisfy appetite or seek personal gain."
~Elder Richard G. Scott
"For the rest of your life to be as meaningful as possible, engage in spiritual practice if you can. It is nothing more than acting out of concern for others. If you practice sincerely and with persistence, little by little, step by step you will gradually reorder your habits and attitudes so as to think less about your own narrow concerns and more about others' – and thereby find peace and happiness yourself."
~Dalai Lama
“Things of the Spirit need not – indeed should not – require our uninterrupted time and attention. Ordinary work-a-day things occupy most of our attention. And that is as it should be. We are mortal beings living in this physical world. Spiritual things are like leavening. By measure they may be very small, but by influence they affect all that we do.”
~President Boyd K. Packer
The truest measure of our thanksgiving is how we use the blessings for which we give thanks.
~Stampin' Up! stamp
"There is no delight in owning anything unshared."
"We have become a culture where earning money doesn't entitle you to it, but wanting money does."
~Ken Blackwell
"No one who fails to rise before dawn 360 days a year fails to make his family rich."
~Asian saying
"Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning."
~Malcolm Gladwell
"Don't say you don't have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein."
~H. Jackson Brown
"Government exists to protect us from each other. Where government has gone beyond its limits is in deciding to protect us from ourselves."
~Ronald Regan
"There is as much risk in doing nothing as in doing something."
"...Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I KNOW WE LIKE TO BE APPRECIATED BUT IF WE DONOT GET ALL THE APPRECIATION WHICH WE THINK IS OUR DUE, WHAT MATTERS? We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in out hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities."
~Sister Eliza R. Snow (emphasis is for my personal benefit)
"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others."
~Audrey Hepburn
"I can't. I have quidditch."
~my friend Jennifer
"When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it...always."
~Mahatma Gandhi
"Sometimes we feel that because difficulties come, the light in our lives becomes meaningless. We forget that the Lord didn't promise to keep the fog away--but He did promise that there would always be a light."
~Elder Karl T. Haglund
"At the heart of misery from the days of Adam until today, you will find the love of wrong things. And at the heart of joy, you will find the love of good things. And the greatest of all good things is God."
~President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“Things will work out” may well be President Hinckley’s most repeated assurance to family, friends, and associates. “Keep trying,” he will say. “Be believing. Be happy. Don’t get discouraged. Things will workout.”
~Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
"As disciples of the Savior, we are not merely striving to know more; rather, we need to consistently do more of what we know is right and become better."
~Elder David A. Bednar
"You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence."
~Abraham Lincoln
We cannot limit God's ability to love us--only His ability to bless us.
