Quotes from Presidents of the Mormon Church

Joseph Smith

“Surely I have contemplated the things of God.”
(History of the Church 5:554)

“Great blessings await us at this time, and will soon be poured out upon us, if we are faithful in all things, for we are even entitled to greater spiritual blessings than they [the faithful at the time of Jesus Christ] were, because they had Christ in person with them, to instruct them in the great plan of salvation. His personal presence we have not, therefore we have need of greater faith.”
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, 1976, 90)

Brigham Young

“The difference between God and the Devil, is that God creates and organizes, while the whole study of the Devil is to destroy.”
(Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe, 1954, 69)

“I am more afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self security. Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates, or not.”
(Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe, 1954, 135)

John Taylor

“We believe in the resurrection of the dead and in the life in the world to come; and not only in the resurrection of the male, but also of the female. We believe also in eternal unions, union on earth and in heaven. And as the heavens declare the glory of God, and the stellar universes roll on according to eternal laws implanted in them by the Deity, and perform their revolutions through successive ages, so will man progress and increase—himself, his wives, his children—through the eternities to come.”
(The Gospel Kingdom, sel. G. Homer Durham, 1943, 14)

Wilford Woodruff

“I want to live as long as I can do good; but not an hour longer than I can live in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, with my Father in heaven, my Savior, and with the faithful Latter-day Saints. To live any longer than this would be torment and misery to me. When my work is done I am ready to go; but I want to do what is required of me.”
(Deseret News Weekly, Sept. 15, 1869, 380)

Lorenzo Snow

“As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be.”
(The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, ed. Clyde J. Williams, 1984, 1)

Joseph F. Smith

“To do well those things which God ordained to be the common lot of all mankind, is the truest greatness. To be a successful father or a successful mother is greater than to be a successful general or a successful statesman. One is universal and eternal greatness, the other is ephemeral.”
(Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., 1939, 285)

“Pure intelligence comprises not only knowledge, but also the power to properly apply that knowledge.”
(Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., 1939, 58)

Heber J. Grant

“If there is any one thing that will bring peace and contentment into the human heart, and into the family, it is to live within our means. And if there is any one thing that is grinding and discouraging and disheartening, it is to have debts and obligations that one cannot meet.”
(Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham, 1941, 111)

George Albert Smith

“Joseph was a prophet who gave his life for the cause. Hyrum was a patriarch who gave his life, and many others have given their lives also for the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the Lord’s work; His authority is deposited with this Church, and nowhere else in all the world except with the Church. Knowing that, I am happy to be here with you. I am delighted to be able to worship with you in this house that is sacred to us all. I pray that when we go from here, each of us will return to our homes with a renewed determination that we will be worthy of him who gives us all our blessings, that we will be worthy of one another as we live together in our homes, sanctified by the righteousness of our lives.”
(Conference Report, Apr. 1947, 167)

David O. McKay

“Every member a missionary!”
(Conference Report, Apr. 1959, 122)

“No man can sincerely resolve to apply to his daily life the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth without sensing a change in his own nature. The phrase, ‘born again’, has a deeper significance than many people attach to it. This changed feeling may be indescribable, but it is real.”
(Conference Report, Apr. 1962, 7)

Joseph Fielding Smith

“We must endure to the end; . . . We must so live as to acquire the attributes of godliness and become the kind of people who can enjoy the glory and wonders of the celestial kingdom.”
(”The Plan of Salvation,” Ensign, Nov. 1971, 5)

Harold B. Lee

“Never is the gospel of Jesus Christ more beautiful than in times of intense need, or in times of a severe storm within us as individuals, or in times of confusion and turmoil.”
(”A Blessing for the Saints,” Ensign, Jan. 1973, 133)

“The heaviest burden that one has to bear in this life is the burden of sin.”
(”Stand Ye in Holy Places,” Ensign, July 1973, 122)

Spencer W. Kimball

“We must lengthen our stride and must do it now.”
(”Always a Convert Church: Some Lessons to Learn and Apply This Year,” Ensign, Sept. 1975, 3)

“No father, no son, no mother, no daughter should get so busy that he or she does not have time to study the scriptures and the words of modern prophets. None of us should get so busy that we crowd out contemplation and praying. None of us should become so busy in our formal Church assignments that there is no room left for quiet Christian service to our neighbors.”
(”Boys Need Heroes Close By,” Ensign, May 1976, 47)

Ezra Taft Benson

“The Book of Mormon is the ‘keystone’ of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone, with continuing latter day revelation. The Lord has placed His stamp of approval on both the keystone and the capstone.”
(”The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants,” Ensign, May 1987, 83)

“The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.”
(”The Great Commandment-Love the Lord,” Ensign, May 1988, 4)

Howard W. Hunter

“It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church worthy to enter the temple.”
(Conference Report, Oct. 1994,

“You should express regularly to your wife and children your reverence and respect for her. Indeed, one of the greatest things a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”
(”Being a Righteous Husband and Father,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 50)

Gordon B. Hinckley

“The time has come for us to stand a little taller, to lift our eyes and stretch our minds to a greater comprehension and understanding of the grand millennial mission of this, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
(Conference Report, Apr. 1995, 95)

“This cause will roll on in majesty and power to fill the earth. Doors now closed to the preaching of the gospel will be opened. The Almighty, if necessary, may have to shake the nations to humble them and cause them to listen to the servants of the living God. Whatever is needed will come to pass.”
(”Look to the Future,” Ensign, Nov.1997, 68)

“Under the plan of heaven, the husband and the wife walk side by side as companions, neither one ahead of the other, but a daughter of God and a son of God walking side by side. Let your families be families of love and peace and happiness. Gather your children around you and have your family home evenings, teach your children the ways of the Lord, read to them from the scriptures, and let them come to know the great truths of the eternal gospel as set forth in these words of the Almighty.”
(”Selections from Addresses of President Gordon B. Hinckley,” Ensign, Mar. 2001, 64)