Work will win when wishy washy wishing wont.
Thomas S. Monson
Study diligently.
Pray earnestly.
Serve willingly.
President Thomas S. Monson
“Children learn through gentle direction and persuasive teaching. They search for models to imitate, knowledge to acquire, things to do, and teachers to please. Sisters, supply your children with what they really need: righteous role models to imitate, knowledge to acquire, things to do, and teachers to please. Do all of this in love, and you will be most fulfilled in your eternal callings as wives, mothers, sisters, and daughters of God. You will come to know why Mary would sit at the feet of Jesus and choose “that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Thomas S. Monson
Dare to be a Mormon
I shall ever remember the first Sunday at San Diego. The chief petty officer said to us, “Today everybody goes to church.” We then lined up in formation on the drill ground. The petty officer shouted, “All of you who are Catholics—you meet in Camp Decatur. Forward, march! And don’t come back until three!” A large number marched out. He then said, “All of you who are of the Jewish faith—you meet in Camp Henry. Forward, march! And don’t come back until three!” A smaller contingent moved out. Then he said, “The rest of you Protestants meet in the theaters in Camp Farragut. Forward, march! And don’t come back until three o’clock!”
There flashed through my mind the thought, Monson, you’re not Catholic. You’re not Jewish. You’re not a Protestant. I elected to stand fast. It seemed as though hundreds of men marched by me. Then I heard the sweetest words which the petty officer ever uttered in my presence. He said, “And what do you men call yourselves?” He used the plural–men. This was the first time I knew that anyone else was standing behind me on that drill ground. In unison we said, “We’re Mormons.” He scratched his head, an expression of puzzlement on his face, and said, “Well, go and find somewhere to meet–and don’t come back until three o’clock.” We marched away. One could almost count cadence to the rhyme learned in Primary:
Dare to be a Mormon;
Dare to stand alone.
Dare to have a purpose firm,
And dare to make it known.
Taken from a talk from President Thomas S. Monson
The reward of eternal life requires effort.
Thomas S. Monson
Though we may not necessarily forfeit our lives in service to our God, we can certainly demonstrate our love for Him by how well we serve Him.
Thomas S. Monson
We must not let our passions destroy our dreams.
Thomas S. Monson
We tend to become like those whom we admire.
Thomas S. Monson
Work will win when wishy washy wishing won t.
Thomas S. Monson
Amidst the confusion of the times, the conflicts of conscience, and the turmoil of daily living, an abiding faith becomes an anchor to our lives.
Thomas S. Monson
Choose a field that will supply sufficient remuneration to provide adequately for your companion and your children. I bear testimony that these criteria are very important in choosing your life’s work.
Thomas S. Monson
Choose your friends with caution; plan your future with purpose, and frame your life with faith.
Thomas S. Monson
Choose your love, Love your choice.
Thomas S. Monson
Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval.
Thomas S. Monson
Each heartfelt prayer, each Church meeting attended, each worthy friend, each righteous decision, each act of service perfomed all precede that goal of eternal life.
Thomas S. Monson
Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other.
Thomas S. Monson
I acknowledge that I do not understand the processes of creation, but I accept the fact of it.
Thomas S. Monson
I am certain that the Lord, who notes the fall of a sparrow, looks with compassion upon those who have been called upon to part, even temporarily, from their precious children.
Thomas S. Monson
I counseled many returning missionaries. I interviewed 1,700 missionaries all over the world. My advice to them is that you should study and prepare for your life’s work in a field that you enjoy.
Thomas S. Monson
I forbid you, agnostic, doubting thoughts, to destroy the house of my faith.
Thomas S. Monson
I hope that you will learn to take responsibility for your decisions. don’t take counsel of your fears.
Thomas S. Monson
I urge you to hold fast to your standards. I plead with you not to waver.
Thomas S. Monson
I wasn’t with Joseph, but I believe him. My faith did not come to me through science, and I will not permit so-called science to destroy it.
Thomas S. Monson
In reality, we are all travelers – even explorers of mortality.
Thomas S. Monson
On occasion we need to make a second effort – and a third effort, and a fourth effort, and as many degrees of effort as may be required to accomplish what we strive to achieve.
Thomas S. Monson
One sees a blatant disregard for the precious souls of mankind.
Thomas S. Monson
Perhaps the surest test of an individual’s integrity is his refusal to do or say anything that would damage his self-respect.
Thomas S. Monson
Should doubt knock at your doorway, just say to those skeptical, disturbing, rebellious thoughts, I propose to stay with my faith, with the faith of my people.
Thomas S. Monson
The principles of living greatly include the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and trial with humility.
Thomas S. Monson
“The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Choose your love. Love your choice.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Remember who you are and what God expects you to become.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Stick to a task ’til it sticks to you. . .for beginners are many, but finishers few.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Don’t save something for a special occasion. Every day of your life is a special occasion.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Reading is one of the true pleasures of life. In our age of mass culture, when so much that we encounter is abridged,adapted, adulterated, shredded, and boiled down, it is mind-easing and mind-inspiring to sit down privately with a congenial book…”
— Thomas S. Monson
“May I share with you a formula that in my judgment will help you and help me to journey well through mortality… First, fill your mind with truth; second, fill your life with service; and third, fill your heart with love.”
–Thomas S. Monson, “Formula for Success,” Ensign, Mar. 1996, 2″
“One day each of us will run out of tomorrows. Let us not put off what is important.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Never let a problem to be solved, become more important than a person to be loved.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“He who gives money gives some, he who gives time gives more, and he who gives of himself gives all.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Work will work when wishy washy wishing won’t.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Youth need less critics and more models.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“There will be occasions in each of our lives when we will be called upon to explain or to defend our beliefs. When the time for performance arrives, the time for preparation is past.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Don’t forget: one of the saddest things in life is wasted talent.”
—Thomas S. Monson
“When faith replaces doubt, when selfless service eliminates selfish striving, the power of God brings to pass His purposes.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Learn from the past, prepare for the future, live in the present.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“The good you have done, the kind words you have spoken, the love you have shown to others, can never be fully measured.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“There is no tomorrow to remember if we don’t do something today, and to live most fully today, we must do that which is of greatest importance. Let us not procrastinate those things which matter most.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Find joy in the journey.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“To you who are parents, I say, show love to your children. You know you love them, but make certain they know it as well. They are so precious. Let them know. Call upon our Heavenly Father for help as you care for their needs each day and as you deal with the challenges which inevitably come with parenthood. You need more than your own wisdom in rearing them.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Everyone can be discontented if he ignores his blessings and looks only at his burdens.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Like the vital rudder of a ship, we have been provided a way to determine the direction we travel. The lighthouse of the Lord beckons to all as we sail the seas of life. Our home port is the celestial kingdom of God. Our purpose is to steer an undeviating course in that direction. A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder—never likely to reach home port. To us comes the signal: Chart your course, set your sail, position your rudder, and proceed.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future…If you are still in the process of raising children be aware that the tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled, will disappear all too soon, and that you will, to your surprise, miss them, profoundly.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“The principles of living greatly include the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and trial with humility. ”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.”
—Thomas S. Monson
“The most constant thing is change.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Along your pathway of life you will observe that you are not the only traveler. There are others who need your help. There are feet to steady, hands to grasp, minds to encourage, hearts to inspire, and souls to save.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“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.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Ideals are like the stars – you can’t touch them with your hands, but by following them you reach your destination. ”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Glance backward, look heavenward, reach outward, press onward”
— Thomas S. Monson
“My dear sisters, do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle. ”
—Thomas S. Monson
“Your mind is a cupboard and you stock the shelves.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Work will win when wishy washy wishing won’t.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Whatever our calling, regardless of our fears or anxieties, let us pray and then go and do.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“We need learn what we need to learn, know what we need to know, and do what we need to do.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Remember that ofttimes the wisdom of God appears as foolishness to men, but the greatest single lesson we can learn in mortality is that when God speaks and a man obeys, that man will always be right.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“You have a heritage honor it. You have posses a testimony share it. You will face temptations withstand it. You know the truth live it.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Faith precedes the miracle. It has ever been so and shall ever be. It was not raining when Noah was commanded to build an ark. There was no visible ram in the thicket when Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. Two heavenly personages were not yet seen when Joseph knelt and prayed. First came the test of faith–and then the miracle. Remember that faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other. Cast out doubt. Cultivate faith.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Men take care not to make women weep, for God counts their tears.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“We do not find truth groveling through error.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Many more people could ride out the storm-tossed waves in their economic lives if they had their year’s supply of food…and were debt-free. Today we find that many have followed this counsel in reverse: they have at least a year’s supply of debt and are food-free.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“May each of us remember this truth; ‘one cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God.’ Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one.”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“The Lord shapes the back to bear the burden placed upon it.”
—Thomas S. Monson
“To live greatly, we must develop the capacity to face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility.”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“It is in the home that we form our attitudes, our deeply held beliefs. It is in the home that hope is fostered or destroyed. Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries; they should also be places where God’s Spirit can dwell, where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Sometimes we let our thoughts of tomorrow take up too much of today. Daydreaming of the past and longing for the future may provide comfort but will not take the place of living in the present. This is the day of our opportunity, and we must grasp it”
— Thomas S. Monson
“May we muster courage at the crossroads, courage for the conflicts, courage to say, “no,” courage to say, “yes,” for courage counts. ”
— Thomas S. Monson
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Watch your step.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“We will never regret the kind words spoken or the affection shown. Rather, our regrets will come if such things are omitted from our relationships with those who mean the most to us.
”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Some are young people who don’t know who they are, what they can be or even want to be. They are afraid, but they don’t know of what. They are angry, but they don’t know at whom. They are rejected and they don’t know why. All they want is to be somebody. ”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be. ”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“When you’re at a funeral and you’re crying, you’re crying for yourself”
— Thomas S. Monson
“In the private sanctuary of one’s own conscience lies that spirit, that determination to cast off the old person and to measure up to the statue of true potential.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Thinking is the hardest work anyone can do, which is probably the reason why we have so few thinkers. ”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“Heavenly Father has a picture of you on His dresser. He loves you and will help you. Call upon Him.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Hope is putting faith to work when doubting would be easier”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Our most significant opportunities will be found in times of greatest difficulty. ”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“Cooperativeness is not so much learning how to get along with others as taking the kinks out of ourselves, so that others can get along with us.”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“Perhaps when we face our maker, we will not be asked, ‘How many positions did you hold,’ but rather, ‘How many people did you help?”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“When the time for decision arrives, the time for preparation is past.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Let us respect others no one lives alone in a city, a nation, or a world.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“The future will present insurmountable problems- only when we consider them insurmountable. ”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“Anger does not solve anything; it builds nothing.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“A patriarchal blessing is a revelation to the recipient, even a white line down the middle of the road, to protect, inspire, and motivate activity and righteousness. A patriarchal blessing literally contains chapters from your book of eternal possibilities. I say eternal, for just as life is eternal, so is a patriarchal blessing. What may not come to fulfillment in this life may occur in the next. We do not govern God’s timetable. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.’ . . .
Your patriarchal blessing is yours and yours alone. It may be brief or lengthy, simple or profound. Length and language do not a patriarchal blessing make. It is the Spirit that conveys the true meaning. Your blessing is not to be folded neatly and tucked away. It is not to be framed or published. Rather, it is to be read. It is to be loved. It is to be followed. Your patriarchal blessing will see you through the darkest night. It will guide you through life’s dangers. . . . Your patriarchal blessing is to you a personal Liahona to chart your course and guide your way.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Your future depends on your Faith.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“We cannot know what faith is if we have never had it, and we cannot obtain it as long as we deny it. Faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. Then the performance of your tasks will be no miracle, but you will be the miracle.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Man has made remarkable strides in conquering outer space, but how futile have been his efforts in conquering inner space- the space in our hearts and minds of men.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Prayer can solve more problems, alleviate more suffering, prevent more transgression, and bring about greater peace and contentment in the human soul than can be obtained in any other way.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Our thinking will automatically improve when we remember the words of Paul: ‘know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“It was by faith, nothing wavering, that Joseph saw God our Eternal Father and Jesus Christ, His Son.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“The Savior taught His disciples, ‘For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it’ (Luke 9:24).”I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Have times really changed? Don’t we today, as always, love our children and want them to live righteously? Don’t we today, as always, need God’s divine protecting care? Don’t we today, as always, continue to be at his mercy and in his debt for the very life he has given us? ”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“Perhaps when we face our maker, will will not be asked, ‘How many positions did you hold,’ but rather, ‘How many people did you help?”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“Choose your friends with caution; plan your future with purpose; and frame your life with faith.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“As a teenage daughter hears her sweet mother plead unto the Lord that her daughter will be inspired in the selection of her companions, that she will prepare herself for a temple marriage, don’t you believe that such a daughter will seek to honor this humble, pleading petition of her mother, whom she so dearly loves?”
— Thomas S. Monson
“The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that facade is heartache, unhappiness and pain. .. YOU be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone. Have the moral courage to be a light for others to follow.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“None of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges—and sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be saddened. However, we are told, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.” How might we have joy in our lives, despite all that we may face? Again from the scriptures: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Prayer continues to provide power–spiritual power. Prayer continues to provide peace–spiritual peace.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“There is a golden thread that runs through every account of faith from the beginning of the world to the present time. Abraham, Noah, the brother of Jared, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and countless others wanted to be obedient to the will of God. They had ears that could hear, eyes that could see, and hearts that could know and feel.
They never doubted. They trusted.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be LOVED”
— Thomas S. Monson
“There is a golden thread that runs through every account of faith from the beginning of the world to the present time. Abraham, Noah, the brother of Jared, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and countless others wanted to be obedient to the will of God. They had ears that could hear, eyes that could see, and hearts that could know and feel. They never doubted. They trusted. Through personal prayer, through family prayer, by trusting in God with faith, nothing wavering, we can call down to our rescue His mighty power. His call to us is as it has ever been: “Come unto me.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“The effectiveness of an inspired bishop, adviser, or teacher has very little to do with the outward trappings of power or an abundance of this world’s goods. The leaders who have the most influence are usually those who set hearts afire with devotion to the truth, who make obedience to duty seem the essence of manhood, who transform some ordinary routine occurrence so that it becomes a vista where we see the person we aspire to be.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“We become so caught up in the busyness of our lives. Were we to step back, however, and take a good look at what we’re doing, we may find that we have immersed ourselves in the ‘thick of thin things.’ In other words, too often we spend most of our time taking care of the things which do not really matter much at all in the grand scheme of things, neglecting those more important causes.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Our homes are to be more than sanctuaries. They should also be places where God’s spirit can dwell, where the storm stops at the door, where love reigns and peace dwells.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“…Faith forged in the furnace of trials and tears is marked by trust and testimony.
Only God can count the sacrifice; only God can measure the sorrow; only God can know the hearts of those who serve Him.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Gaze upward, look inward, reach outward, and press forward.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“What a privilege it is to be able to go to the temple, where we may experience the sanctifying influence of the Spirit of the Lord. Great service is given when we perform vicarious ordinances for those who have gone beyond the veil… and in that process we attain that which comes of no other effort: we literally become saviors on Mount Zion. As our Savior gave His life as a vicarious sacrifice for us, so we, in some small measure, do the same when we perform proxy work in the temple for those who have no means of moving forward unless something is done for them by those of us here on the earth.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“The goal of gospel teaching… is not to ‘pour information’ into the minds of class members… The aim is to inspire the individual to think about, feel about, and then do something about living gospel principles.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“All of us remember the home of our childhood. Interestingly, our thoughts do not dwell on whether the house was large or small, the neighborhood fashionable or downtrodden. Rather, we delight in the experiences we shared as a family. The home is the laboratory of our lives, and what we learn there largely determines what we do when we leave there.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Anxiously you ask, ‘Is there a way to safety? Can someone guide me? Is there an escape from threatened destruction?’ The answer is a resounding yes! I counsel you: Look to the lighthouse of the Lord. There is no fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what its beacon light can rescue. It beckons through the storms of life. It calls, ‘This way to safety; this way to home.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Men, take care not to make women weep, for God counts their tears.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Have we been guilty of declaring, ‘I’ve been thinking about making some course corrections in my life. I plan to take the first step—tomorrow’? With such thinking, tomorrow is forever. Such tomorrows rarely come unless we do something about them today.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“I testify that when we do all we can to accomplish the work that is before us, the Lord will make available to us the sacred key needed to unlock the treasure which we so much seek.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“There are hearts to gladden… kind words to say… gifts to be given… deeds to be done.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“Let me begin now, this very night, to emulate Christ. Cast off forever will be the old self and with it defeat, despair, doubt, and disbelief. To a newness of life I come–a life of faith, hope courage, and joy. No task looms too large; no responsibility too heavy; no duty is a burden. All things become possible.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“In this marvelous dispensation of the fulness of times, our opportunities to give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable.”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“Our challenge is to join forces of the old and the new- experience and experiment, history and destiny, the world of man and the new world of science- but always in accordance with the never-changing word of God. ”
— Thomas S. Monson (Pathways to Perfection: Discourses of Thomas S. Monson)
“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, nonexistent future when you will have time to do all that you want to do. Instead, find you in the journey now.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“As I contemplate all that you face in the world today, one word comes to my mind. It describes an attribute needed by all of us but one which you—at this time of your life and in this world–will need particularly. That attribute is courage.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“To be angry is to yield to the influence of Satan. No one can make us angry. It is our choice. If we desire to have a proper spirit with us at all times, we must choose to refrain from becoming angry. I testify that such is possible.”
— Thomas S. Monson
“A house does not have to be perfect to be a home of joy, a child does not have to behave perfectly to love and be loved, and every moment of life does not have to be perfect to be of value. Too often, I realize, we fail to see the glorious reality of the simple joy that abounds in the seemingly mundane routine of day-to-day living. Instead, we tend to idolize the past, idealize the future, and devalue the present…. What better way to show our appreciation to Heavenly Father for what we have than to embrace our lives, ~ Winnie Dalley; Ensign, March 1998