SALT LAKE CITY — Thomas S. Monson, President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has died at the age of 90.
Here are some quotes from President Monson. via LDS.org:
“God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.”
“The spirit must be freed from tethers so strong and feelings never put to rest, so that the lift of life may give buoyancy to the soul. In many families, there are hurt feelings and a reluctance to forgive. It doesn’t really matter what the issue was. It cannot and should not be left to injure. Blame keeps wounds open. Only forgiveness heals. George Herbert, an early 17th-century poet, wrote these lines: ‘He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass if he would ever reach heaven, for everyone has need of forgiveness.’”
“Essential to the plan is our Savior Jesus Christ.”
“Sometimes we can take offense so easily. On other occasions we are too stubborn to accept a sincere apology. Who will subordinate ego, pride, and hurt—then step forward with ‘I am truly sorry! Let’s be as we once were: friends. Let’s not pass to future generations the grievances, the anger of our time’? Let’s remove any hidden wedges that can do nothing but destroy.”
“Those who grieve frequently find themselves alone. Missed is the laughter of children, the commotion of teenagers, and the tender, loving concern of a departed companion. The clock ticks more loudly, time passes more slowly, and four walls can indeed a prison make. I extol those who, with loving care and compassionate concern, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and house the homeless. He who notes the sparrow’s fall will not be unmindful of such service.”
“Decisions Determine Destiny.”
“The battle for self-discipline may leave you a bit bruised and battered but always a better person. Self-discipline is a rigorous process at best; too many of us want it to be effortless and painless. Should temporary setbacks afflict us, a very significant part of our struggle for self-discipline is the determination and the courage to try again….Eternal life in the kingdom of our Father is your goal, and self-discipline will surely be required if you are to achieve it.”
“Your future is as bright as your faith.”
“Let us have the courage to defy the consensus, the courage to stand for principle. Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval. Courage becomes a living and an attractive virtue when it is regarded not only as a willingness to die manfully, but also as a determination to live decently. A moral coward is one who is afraid to do what he thinks is right because others will disapprove or laugh. Remember that all men have their fears, but those who face their fears with dignity have courage as well.”
“As we make Christ the center of our lives, our fears will be replaced by the courage of our convictions.”
“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’? Unlike the book on the library shelf, the covers of which shield its contents, our lives cannot be closed. Parents, we truly are an open book in the library of learning of our homes.”
“When we keep the commandments, our lives will be happier, more fulfilling, and less complicated.”
“A prominent judge was asked what we, as citizens of the countries of the world, could do to reduce crime and disobedience to law and to bring peace and contentment into our lives and into our nations. He thoughtfully replied, ‘I would suggest a return to the old-fashioned practice of family prayer.’”
“We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth.”
“Our Heavenly Father has placed an upward reach in every one of us. The words of scripture speak loud and clear: ‘Look to God and live’ (Alma 37:47). No problem is too small for His attention nor so large that He cannot answer the prayer of faith. Prayer surely is the passport to spiritual power. You can pray with purpose when you realize who you are and what Heavenly Father wants you to become. You will not find it difficult to approach Him with your sincere prayer as you remember the words of the Apostle Paul, ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?’ (1 Cor. 3:16).”
“Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.”
“There are many out there who plead and pray for help. There are those who are discouraged, those who are beset by poor health and challenges of life which leave them in despair. I’ve always believed in the truth of the words, ‘God’s sweetest blessings always go by hands that serve him here below.’ Let us have ready hands, clean hands, and willing hands, that we may participate in providing what our Heavenly Father would have others receive from Him.”
“To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves.”
“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.”
“Sincerely giving thanks … unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.”
“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.”
“There is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. It is generally during these challenging times that you will grow closer together as you learn to sacrifice and to make difficult decisions.”
“Come from your wandering way, weary traveler. Come to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Come to that heavenly haven called home. Here you will discover the truth. Here you will learn the reality of the Godhead, the comfort of the plan of salvation, the sanctity of the marriage covenant, the power of personal prayer. Come home.”
“Now, my young friends who are in your teenage years, always have the temple in your sights. Do nothing which will keep you from entering its doors and partaking of the sacred and eternal blessings there.”
“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.”
“We must be careful that we do not destroy another person’s confidence through careless words or actions.”
“Decisions are constantly before us. To make them wisely, courage is needed.”
“Whatever our calling, regardless of our fears or anxieties, let us pray and then go and do.”
“Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit.”
“It is through giving, rather than getting, that the Spirit of Christ enters our lives.”
“He who gives money gives much; he who gives time gives more; but he who gives of himself gives all.”
“When we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the Spirit of Christ.”
“Because He came, there is meaning to our mortal existence.”
“Face trouble with courage, disappointment with cheerfulness, and triumph with humility.”
“The blessings of the temple are priceless.”
“We are on His errand. Let us learn of Him. Let us follow in His footsteps. Let us live by His precepts.”
“May we be faithful followers of Christ, examples of righteousness, thus becoming ‘lights in the world.’”
“Nothing else, no other choice we make, can make of us what He can.”
“The greatest force in the world today is the power of God as it works through man.”
“May our hearts be touched and our faith increased.”
“Find joy in the journey—now.”
“Unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives.”
“We are the Lord’s hands here upon the earth, with the mandate to serve and to lift His children. He is dependent upon each of us.”
“God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.”
“Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.”
“When we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the Spirit of Christ, for the Christmas spirit is the Christ Spirit.”
“Kneel down to pray. Step up to serve. Reach out to rescue. Each is a vital page of God’s blueprint to make a house a home and a home a heaven.”
“An abiding faith becomes an anchor to our lives.”
“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.”
“Show love to your children. You know you love them, but make certain they know it as well.”
“Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.”
“I am lifted spiritually whenever I search the scriptures.”
“Prayer is not just for times of trouble.”
“Difficulties allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us, and to become something different from what we were—better than we were.”
“Father, like Mother, is ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his children. Daily he toils to provide the necessities of life, never complaining, ever concerned for the well-being of his family.”
“One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God.”
“We are a temple-building and a temple-attending people.”
“Love is the very essence of the gospel and Jesus Christ is our Exemplar.”
“May we ever be found doing the work of the Lord.”
“Courage, not compromise, brings the smile of God’s approval.”
“Home should be a haven of love. Where love is, there is no disputation. Where love is, there is no contention. Where love is, there God will be also.”
“As we seek Christ, as we find Him, as we follow Him, we shall have the Christmas spirit, not for one fleeting day each year, but as a companion always.”
“May we, as did the Wise Men, seek a bright, particular star to guide us in our celebration of the Savior’s birth.”
“A man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder.”
“Our Heavenly Father does answer prayers in His own time and in His own way.”
“Believe in yourself and then live so as to reach your possibilities.”
“Kneel down to pray. Step up to serve. Reach out to rescue. Each is a vital page of God’s blueprint to make a house a home and a home a heaven.”
“To catch the real meaning of the spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable and it becomes the Spirit of Christ.”
“A grateful heart … comes through expressing gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His blessings and to those around us for all that they bring into our lives.”
“Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love.”
“We can fortify our foundations of faith, our testimonies of truth, so that we will not falter, we will not fail.”
“The lighthouse of the Lord beckons to all as we sail the seas of life.”
“If you want to give a light to others, you have to glow yourself.”
“Obey the laws of God. They are given to us by a loving Heavenly Father.”
“Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.”
“[A patriarchal blessing] will chart our course and give us safe passage to our heavenly home.”
“Those who will address us have sought heaven’s help and direction as they have prepared their messages. They have been impressed concerning that which they will share with us.”
“Now is the time for members and missionaries to come together, to work together, to labor in the Lord’s vineyard to bring souls unto Him.”
“There are lives to brighten. There are hearts to touch. There are souls to save.”
“Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is with us. He has promised that this will never change.”
“Heavenly Father loves you—each of you. That love never changes.”
“May we show increased kindness toward one another, and may we ever be found doing the work of the Lord.”
“There is no need for you … to sail uncharted seas or to travel unmarked roads in search of truth. A loving Heavenly Father has plotted our course and provided an unfailing guide—even obedience.”
“May I suggest a formula that will ensure our success: first, search the scriptures with diligence; second, plan your life with purpose …; third, teach the truth with testimony; and fourth, serve the Lord with love.”
“I pray that we may be aware of the needs of those around us. … May we ever be ready to extend to them a helping hand and a loving heart.”
