(6/2/99)
"Every one of us will have to give an account for the deeds we do in the flesh, and that every man will be rewarded according to his works, whether they be good or evil. Thank God for that principle; for it is a just principle, it is Godlike. For such a principle to be omitted from the work of the Lord would be an omission too serious to contemplate.... you and I and every one of us will have to answer for the deeds we do, and will be rewarded according to our works, whether they be good or evil." — Joseph F. Smith, "Principles of Government in the Church," Improvement Era, Nov. 1917, pp. 10-11

(6/3/99)
"Thus, so are we in our relationship with the Lord. The laws, commandments, and ordinances of God are the invariant. Our relation to them is the variant. Any thought of our relativity to his will is because of where we stand spiritually. Obedience and accountability are not related to our perceptions or our needs. We are completely and independently accountable for our actions: 'For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all' (James 2:10)." — David McPherson, "To Obey is Better than to Sacrifice," BYU Devotional, July 1997

(6/4/99)
"Men not infrequently forget that they are dependent upon heaven for every blessing which they are permitted to enjoy, and that for every opportunity granted them they are to give an account.... Our Master is absent only for a little season, and at the end of it He will call each to render an account; and where the five talents were bestowed, ten will be required; and he that has made no improvement will be cast our as an unprofitable servant, while the faithful will enjoy everlasting honors." — Joseph F. Smith, "Teachings of Joseph F. Smith," page 68

(6/5/99)
"Sooner or later each of us must face God. Even those who live out their lives without God must one day acknowledge that he is, for 'every knee shall bow ...and every tongue confess.' (Romans 14:11.) Of course, for all of us, now is the best time to serve the Lord. And, if you sense that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, why not do so now? For in the coming of that collective confession, it will mean much less to kneel down when it is no longer possible to stand up!" — Neal A. Maxwell, "Conference Report", October 1974, p. 16

(6/6/99)
"Jesus' unconditional love for us motivated His atoning sacrifice for our sins. How He lived His life is the example we should follow. Without His love, we would be unable to return to our Heavenly Father. His way should be our way. 'Therefore, what manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am.' He showed us that we must go about doing good, that the spiritual and physical welfare of our fellowmen is as important as our own, and that we should show genuine concern and compassion for all of our Heavenly Father's children. Moroni defines Christlike love as charity. 'And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father.' It's not enough to say we believe and that we love Him; we must be found possessed with His kind of love for others at that last day. It is not necessary for us to lay down our life for others as He did, but like the Savior, we should bless the lives of others by giving of what our life is made up of--our time, our talents, our means, and ourselves." — Elder Robert J. Whetten, "True Followers," Conference Report, April 1999

(4/10/02)
"Satan is known as the great deceiver. His religion, his philosophy, and his work is based on deception and lies. His objective is to thwart the work of the Lord by misleading us and eventually making us 'miserable like unto himself' (2 Ne. 2:27). He would have us believe that he is the man and that his ways bring us to manhood."

Richard C. Edgley 
"Behold the Man" 
"Ensign," Nov. 1999, 42

(4/11/02)
"In addition to the cleansing effect of the Atonement, God has given us agency--the power to choose between good (the path of life) and evil (the path of spiritual death and destruction [see 2 Ne. 2:27; Moses 4:3]). Although the conditions of mortality can limit our freedom (such as by restricting our mobility or our power to act on certain options), when we have reached the age or condition of accountability (see Moro. 8:5-12; D&C 68:27; D&C 101:78) no mortal or spiritual power can deprive us of our agency."

Dallin H. Oaks 
"Same-Gender Attraction" 
"Ensign," Oct. 1995, 8

(4/12/02)
"The Lord has given you the gift of agency (see Moses 7:32) and instructed you sufficiently to know good from evil (see 2 Ne. 2:5). You are free to choose (see 2 Ne. 2:27) and are permitted to act (see 2 Ne. 10:23; Hel. 14:30), but you are not free to choose the consequences. With absolute certainty, choices of good and right lead to happiness and peace, while choices of sin and evil eventually lead to unhappiness, sorrow, and misery."

Joseph B. Wirthlin 
"Running Your Marathon" 
"Ensign," Nov. 1989, 75

(4/13/02)
"Laws, opposition, and knowledge were given to the children of God. We are free to choose between contrasting paths with their clear consequences. In thus exercising our moral agency, we are given the power to be our own judges."

L. Lionel Kendrick 
"Our Moral Agency" 
"Ensign," Mar. 1996, 32

(4/14/02)
"The final principle that I have observed in the lives of effective men and women is to act promptly and decisively once they have determined what the Lord wishes done. In the parable of the ten virgins, we are taught the folly of procrastinating and delaying our preparation for the day when the Savior will come again--but it is our choice. We 'are free to choose liberty and eternal life... or to choose captivity and death.' (2 Ne. 2:27.)"

Victor L. Brown 
"Agency and Accountability" 
"Ensign," May 1985, 16

(2/4/04)
"In the cumulative process of living, today's small inflection for good adds to what becomes tomorrow's mountain of character. A bad inflection in a defining moment, however, gouges a little more in what later becomes the eroded gully channeling us so swiftly into the 'gulf of misery' (2 Ne. 1:13). Life's experiences of boredom, exhilaration, deprivation, conflict, compromise, mistakes, successes, resentments, loving, excluding, belonging, repenting, and forgiving swirl about us constantly. How will immortal principles be applied by immortal individuals to these swirling situations?" - Neal A. Maxwell, "The Pathway of Discipleship," Ensign, Sept. 1998, 11

(5/14/04)
"In this life we have to make many choices. Some are very important choices. Some are not. Many of our choices are between good and evil. The choices we make, however, determine to a large extent our happiness or our unhappiness, because we have to live with the consequences of our choices. Making perfect choices all of the time is not possible. It just doesn't happen. But it is possible to make good choices we can live with and grow from. When God's children live worthy of divine guidance they can become 'free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon.' (2 Ne. 2:26)" - James E. Faust, "Choices," General Conference, April 2004

(2/1/05)
"Immediately after God left Adam and Eve in the garden, telling them to partake freely of the fruit of all the trees except one, of which they were commanded not to partake, Satan began his nefarious plan for their destruction. Following Satan's successful attempt, God returned to the garden; and because they were ashamed, Adam and Eve were hiding from him, so he called: 'Where art thou?' a question which can and does apply to every one of us individually and collectively, and one which we might well be asking ourselves as it applies to our relationship to God and our fellowmen....

"When God said 'Where art thou?' he knew where Adam was. With his omniscience he knew what had taken place, but he was calling Adam to consider the seriousness of his actions and to report to him. But Adam had hidden himself because he was ashamed.

"We are all like Adam in that when we partake of 'forbidden fruits' or do the things we are commanded not to do, we are ashamed, and we draw away from the Church and from God and hide ourselves, and if we continue in sin, the Spirit of God withdraws from us. There is no happiness in disobedience or sin. We have all learned from our childhood that we are happier when we are doing right." - N. Eldon Tanner, "Where Art Thou," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 33

(4/20/05)
"The choice between good and evil is at the very heart of our experience on earth. In the final review of our lives, it will not really matter if we were rich or poor, if we were athletic or not, if we had friends or were often forgotten.

"We can work, study, laugh and have fun, dance, sing, and enjoy many different experiences. These are a wonderful part of life, but they are not central to why we are here. The opportunity to choose good over evil is precisely why we are here. (See 2 Nephi 2:27.)" - Neil L. Andersen, "Beware of the Evil behind the Smiling Eyes," General Conference, April 2005

1/3/06
"In our desire to be broad-minded, to be accepted, to be liked and admired, let us not trifle with the doctrines and the covenants which have been revealed to us, nor with the pronouncements of those who have been given the keys of the kingdom of God on earth. For all of us, the words of Joshua ring with increasing relevance. 'Choose you this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord' (Josh. 24:15)." - James E. Faust, "Keeping Covenants and Honoring the Priesthood," Ensign (CR), November 1993, p.36

3/30/06
"The Lord said, 'It is not meet that I should command in all things; for he that is compelled in all things, the same is a slothful and not a wise servant.' (D&C 58:26.) The prophets told us in the Book of Mormon that 'men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil.' (2 Ne. 2:5; see Hel. 14:31.)

"Life is meant to be a test to see if we will keep the commandments of God. (See 2 Ne. 2:5.) We are free to obey or to ignore the spirit and the letter of the law. But the agency granted to man is a moral agency. (See D&C 101:78.) We are not free to break our covenants and escape the consequences.

"The laws of God are ordained to make us happy. Happiness cannot coexist with immorality: the prophet Alma told us in profound simplicity that 'wickedness never was happiness.' (Alma 41:10.)" - Boyd K. Packer, "Covenants," Ensign (CR), November 1990, p.84

4/22/06
"The Savior taught his disciples: 'No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.' (Matt. 6:24.)

"This can be stated another way: You cannot serve both God and Satan. Life is a real challenge, but blessed with God-given powers, we can overcome every stratagem and obstacle Satan may place in our path. The path to eternal life may not be an easy one to follow with all the worldly enticements about us, but when we consider the rewards and blessings we gather if we travel the narrow way, it is worth every sacrifice we make." - Delbert L. Stapley, "The Path to Eternal Life," Ensign (CR), January 1974, p.42

10/17/06
"To become worthy, we make choices that will enable us to return to our Heavenly Father's presence. We do those things which will qualify us to claim all the blessings that He has in store for us. This is the reason we are here on the earth—'to see if [we] will do all things whatsoever the Lord... shall command.' (Abraham 3:25.) It is through our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that we can resist temptation. (See Alma 37:33; 3 Nephi 7:18.) Our faith will enable us to shun evil. It will be repulsive to us because 'light cleaveth unto light' and 'virtue loveth virtue.' (See D&C 88:40.)" - Elaine S. Dalton, "Look toward Eternity!" Ensign, November 2006

3/15/07
"The prophets and other Church leaders have never misled the Latter-day Saints on a principle of righteousness. Every principle is for our benefit. However, if we choose to ignore the prophets, we choose the consequences that follow. We have the God-given agency to either follow the prophets or not, but we cannot choose the consequences of exercising that agency. They will follow with absolute certainty. If we ignore the prophets, we become like the people the Savior chastised when he said, 'Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?' (Luke 6:46.)" - Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Finding Peace in Our Lives," p.15

3/28/07
"Desires change during our lives, sometimes dramatically and quickly, and sometimes gradually. Elder Boyd K. Packer once quoted Lady Astor: 'I always dreaded growing old, because then you can't do all of the things you want to. But it isn't so bad—you don't want to!' (Ensign, Nov. 1974, p. 89.) Be aware that things that seem all-important to you now will not matter in years to come. But you can choose now to want things that are in harmony with eternity. For example, you can choose to be righteous rather than waste your time on perishable things; you can choose to serve willingly rather than selfishly. Elder Marion D. Hanks has often quoted the wise saying that 'the things that matter most must not be at the mercy of the things that matter least.' The choices we make in this life have a very important influence on our eternity." - Jack H Goaslind, "Yagottawanna," Ensign (CR), May 1991, p.45

7/31/07
"In the parable given, the sower had a choice to make—whether to prepare the soil for the seed or take a chance and sow the seed without preparing the ground, hoping that the seed would fall on good ground. He was, however, careless and chose to take a chance, sowing without preparing the soil. Some seeds fell by the wayside and were eaten by the birds. Some fell among thorns and they were choked out. He learned that sowing where birds ate the seeds and where the thorns choked out was not profitable.

"Had he prepared the soil before sowing, he could possibly have reaped one hundredfold. This sower truly witnessed the truth of the statement that 'whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.' The choice he made before sowing commenced determined to a large extent the harvest he was to reap.

"All of us are in many respects in the same position as the sower. We have our free agency, or what we call the freedom of choice. When we sow without regard to the consequences, we reap sparingly. On the other hand, when we carefully observe the laws of progress and happiness, we reap growth, development, and great happiness." - Franklin D. Richards, November 3, 1964, "BYU Speeches of the Year, 1964," p.3

11/12/07
"Lehi taught his son Jacob, saying: 'Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself' (2 Nephi 2:27).

"Undoubtedly, freedom and eternal life are what we seek. We tremble at the very thought of dying and being captives of the devil.

"Nephi taught us clearly what we ought to do. He said, 'For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do' (2 Nephi 25:23)." - Claudio D. Zivic, "After All We Can Do," General Conference, 7 October 2007

1/1/08
"There are few of us, if any, who don't walk the refiners fire of adversity and despair, sometimes known to others but for many quietly hidden and privately endured. Most of the heartache, pain, and suffering we would not choose today. But we did choose. We chose when we could see the complete plan. We chose when we had a clear vision of the Savior's rescue of us. And if our faith and understanding were as clear today as it was when we first made that choice, I believe we would choose again.

"Therefore, perhaps the challenge is to have the kind of faith during the hard times that we exercised when we first chose. The kind of faith that turns questioning and even anger into acknowledging the power, blessings, and hope that can come only from Him who is the source of all power, blessings, and hope. The kind of faith that brings the knowledge and assurances that all that we experience is part of the gospel plan and that for the righteous, all that appears wrong will eventually be made right. The peace and understanding to endure with dignity and clarity of purpose can be the sweet reward. This kind of faith can help us to see the good, even when life's path seems to be layered only with thorns, thistles, and craggy rocks." - Richard C. Edgley, "For Thy Good," Ensign (CR), May 2002, p.65