"Select just two or three individuals in your life who have been most influential, and ask yourself what they did specifically that was most helpful to you at the critical, important times of your life. On reflecting for a few moments, you are apt to conclude that such people really cared for you, that they took time out for you, that they taught you something you needed to know. Reflect now upon your performance- as I do on mine-as to whether or not we embody in our lives those same basic helpful attributes."

Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, Jul 1978, 3

"Someone has wisely stated that hate is not the opposite of love. Apathy is. We will not have time for apathy in life's journey if we speak and think positively. Seek, search, and work for worthy eternal qualities and friends."

Marvin J. Ashton, Ensign, Feb 1993, 64

"God has provided a way to live in this world and not be contaminated by the degrading pressures evil agents spread throughout it. You can live a virtuous, productive, righteous life by following the plan of protection created by your Father in Heaven: His plan of happiness. It is contained in the scriptures and in the inspired declarations of His prophets."

Richard G. Scott, Liahona, May 2004, 100-102

"God is at the head of the human race; we look up to him as the Father of all. We cannot please him more than by regarding and respecting and honoring our fathers and our mothers, who are the means of our existence here upon the earth."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 381

My father's feet will lead me
in paths I know are right.
My father's knees will bend with mine
as we say prayers at night.
My father's lap will hold me
when I need a place to rest.
And when I'm sad, I like to lay
my head upon his chest.
My father's hands are big and strong,
and they work hard for me.
My father's arms can lift me up
so I may better see.
My father's lips will speak to me
with words of truth each day.
My father's ears will listen
to the things I have to say.
I like to sit so very still
and look into his eyes.
I know he understands me,
and he is good and wise.
I'm glad I have a father
who guides me with his love.
He helps me better understand
my Father up above.

Barbara J. Porter, "My Father," Friend, Jun 1995, 24

"The father is the protector of the home. He guards it against the intrusion of evil from without. Formerly he protected his home with weapons and shuttered windows. Today the task is more complex. Barred doors and windows protect only against the intrusion of a corporeal creature. It is not an easy thing to protect one's family against intrusions of evil into the minds and spirits of family members. These influences can and do flow freely into the home. Satan can subtly beguile the children of men in ways we have already mentioned in this conference. He need not break down the door. Fathers, you will have to live close to the Lord. Develop a sensitivity to the impressions of the Spirit."

A. Theodore Tuttle, Ensign, Jan. 1974, 66

"There is no higher authority in matters relating to the family organization, and especially when that organization is presided over by one holding the higher Priesthood, than that of the father. The authority is time honored, and among the people of God in all dispensations it has been highly respected and often emphasized by the teachings of the prophets who were inspired of God."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith, 381

"How are we to know the voice of the Good Shepherd from the voice of a stranger? Can any person answer this question? I can. It is very easy. To every philosopher upon the earth, I say, your eye can be deceived, so can mine; your ear can be deceived, so can mine; the touch of your hand can be deceived, so can mine; but the Spirit of God filling the creature with revelation and the light of eternity, cannot be mistaken-the revelation which comes from God is never mistaken (DBY, 431)."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, 315

"On several occasions President Heber J. Grant was strongly impressed with President Brigham Young's ability to talk with the Lord. President Grant said: 'I was familiar with the Prophet Brigham Young. I knelt down time and time again in his home in the Lion House at family prayers, as a child and as a young man; and I bear witness that as a little child, upon more than one occasion, because of the inspiration of the Lord to Brigham Young while he was supplicating God for guidance, I have lifted my head, turned and looked at the place where Brigham Young was praying, to see if the Lord was not there. It seemed to me that he talked to the Lord as one man would talk to another' ("He Talked to the Lord," in Leon Hartshorn, comp., Classic Stories from the Lives of Our Prophets [1975], 44)."

The Latter-day Saint Woman: Basic Manual for Women, Part B, 293

"This life, this narrow sphere we call mortality, does not, within the short space of time we are allowed here, give to all of us perfect justice, perfect health, or perfect opportunities. Perfect justice, however, will come eventually through a divine plan, as will the perfection of all other conditions and blessings-to those who have lived to merit them."

Spencer W. Kimball, Ensign, Jul 1978, 3

"[One deception] is what some erroneously call 'premeditated repentance. 'There is no such doctrine in this Church. This may sound subtly appealing, but it is in fact pernicious and a false concept. Its objective is to persuade us that we can consciously and deliberately transgress with the
forethought that quick repentance will permit us to enjoy the full blessings of the gospel, such as temple blessings or a mission. True repentance can be a long, painful process"

James E. Faust, Ensign, Nov 2000, 44-46

"As long as the Adversary to truth is free to exercise dominion in this world, we are going to have attacks, and the only way to meet those attacks is to live the Gospel."

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. McKay, 81

[Speaking of someone dying] "In answer to the age-old question, 'How much did he leave?' be reassured the answer will always be, 'All of it.' So we would do well to lay up treasures in heaven, where not taxes but doctrines give meaning to words like estate, inheritance, testament, and will."

Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign, Nov 2001, 33

"Be not dismayed at the trials of life; they are sent for our good. God knows what keys in the human soul to touch in order to draw out its sweetest and most perfect harmonies. These may be the strains of sadness and sorrow as well as the loftier notes of joy and gladness."

Reed Smoot, Ensign, Oct 1972, 16

"We should seek after spiritual gifts. They can lead us to God. They can shield us from the power of the adversary. They can compensate for our inadequacies and repair our imperfections. "

Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, Sep 1986, 68