(7/3/03)
"Be not faithless, but believe in Jehovah, he whose finger wrote upon the tablets of stone amid the thunders of Sinai, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' (Exodus 20:3) The Decalogue, which is the basis of all good law governing human relations, is the product of his divine genius. As you look upon the vast body of legalisms designed to protect men and society, pause and know that it has its roots in those few brief and timeless declarations given by the all-wise Jehovah to Moses." — Gordon B. Hinckley, "Be Thou an Example," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981], p. 74

(7/4/03)
"Idolatry is among the most serious of sins. There are unfortunately millions today who prostrate themselves before images of gold and silver and wood and stone and clay. But the idolatry we are most concerned with here is the conscious worshiping of still other gods. Some are of metal and plush and chrome, of wood and stone and fabrics. They are not in the image of God or of man, but are developed to give man comfort and enjoyment, to satisfy his wants, ambitions, passions and desires. Some are in no physical form at all, but are intangible." — Spencer W. Kimball, "The Miracle of Forgiveness," [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969], p. 58

(7/5/03)
"Traveling over the country as I do, I recall an experience I had not too long ago when I went into a certain hotel. A group of men sat down around a table. They were business men. The first individual made a statement. What did he do first? He took the name of the Lord in vain. The individual there who answered his question and gave him the information he wanted, what did he do? He took the name of the Lord in vain, too. But in the Church of Jesus Christ, brethren and sisters, we never use the name of the Lord unless we are going to talk to Him, and in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ. That is the only time we use those two names." — Joseph L. Wirthlin, "The Kingdom of God is Righteousness," "BYU Speeches of the Year," 1960, p. 6

(7/6/03)
"Since the resurrection of the Savior on the first day of the week, this day has been commemorated as the Lord's day, or the one day in seven on which man should rest from his labors. But Sunday is more than a day of rest from the ordinary occupations of the week. It is not to be considered as merely a day of lazy indolence and idleness or for physical pleasures and indulgences. It is a feastday for your spirit bodies. The place of spiritual feasting is in the house of worship. Here you find fellowship with those who like yourselves are seeking spiritual nourishment. You are enjoined to sing and pray and pay your devotions to the Most High, and partake of the holy sacrament as a reminder of your obligations as a son or daughter of God here in mortality and in remembrance of the atonement of the Savior and to pledge again your loyalty to his name." — Harold B. Lee, "Decisions for Successful Living," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1973], p. 146

(7/7/03)
"I gave a talk on Mother's Day to four or five hundred M-Men and Gleaners. I told them: 'Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.' (Ex. 20:12) I finished with this thought, and I would like to leave the thought with you: The parents that you should honor more than any others are the parents of your children-to-be. Those children are entitled to the best parents that it is possible for you to give them-clean parents. I am so thankful that when I found Sally Merrill I found a girl who could go to the temple with me, and a girl who had lived so that she could look her five daughters in the face and expect them to live the way they should, knowing that she had." — Nathan Eldon Tanner, "My Experiences and Observations," "BYU Speeches of the Year," 1966, p. 10

(7/8/03)
"Simple words—and not much temptation to break this commandment, you may add. But to clarify, in our day the Lord added, 'Thou shalt not... kill, nor do anything like unto it.' (D&C 59:6) Do you think he could foresee our time, when mankind would disregard reverence for life and authorize abortion on a massive scale throughout the world? Of course he could. That is why he warned us again. Few acts could bring guilt and sorrow quite so surely as the shedding of innocent blood, regardless of the age of the victim. We need this counsel today, perhaps more than ever before." -- Russell M. Nelson, "The Power within Us," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1988], p. 129

(7/9/03)
"Was there ever adultery without dishonesty? In the vernacular, the evil is described as "cheating." And cheating it is, for it robs virtue, it robs loyalty, it robs sacred promises, it robs self-respect, it robs truth. It involves deception. It is personal dishonesty of the worst kind, for it becomes a betrayal of the most sacred of human relationships and a denial of covenants and promises entered into before God and man. It is the sordid violation of a trust. It is a selfish casting aside of the law of God; and like other forms of dishonesty its fruits are sorrow, bitterness, heartbroken companions, and betrayed children." -- Gordon B. Hinckley, "Be Thou an Example," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981], p. 44

(7/10/03)
"One reason for the decline in moral values is that the world has invented a new, constantly changing, and undependable standard of moral conduct referred to as 'situational ethics.' Now individuals define good and evil as being adjustable according to each situation; this is in direct contrast to the proclaimed God-given absolute standard: 'Thou shalt not!'—as in 'Thou shalt not steal' (Exodus 20:15)." -- David B. Haight, "A Light unto the World," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], p. 162

(7/11/03)
"A plea to constrain the use of truth provides no justification for lying. The principles of love, unity, righteousness, and mercy do not condone falsehood. The Lord commanded, 'Thou shalt not bear false witness' (Ex. 20:16), and he has not revoked that command. When truth is constrained by other virtues, the outcome is not falsehood but silence for a season. As the scriptures say, there is 'a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.' (Eccl. 3:7)" -- Dallin H. Oaks, "The Lord's Way," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], p. 194

(7/12/03)
"In the Ten Commandments, the last one is a great sermon to this great world of ours, and if we are ever going to have peace and if we are ever going to do away with war and contention, then we must put our lives in line with that tenth Commandment: 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor's.' (Exodus 20:17) If we could but do that!" — Nicholas G. Smith, "Conference Report," October 1945, p. 58