(3/20/98)
"A worthwhile attitude for all of us could well be, 'Help us, O Lord, to remember thy love for us and help us to be fortified by Thy strength when our eyes are blurred with tears of sorrow and our vision is limited.' It is expedient for all of us, particularly those who may be weighed down by grief because of acts of misconduct or misfortune, to recall that even the Prophet Joseph Smith had hours of despair because of his very trying experiences in the Liberty Jail. Perhaps he too was entitled to question, 'What did I do wrong? What have I done to displease Thee, O Lord? Where have I failed? Why are the answers to my prayers and pleas withheld?' In response to the feelings of his heart and mind he cried out: 'O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?' (D&C 121:1.) The reassuring response came: 'My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.' (D&C 121:7-8.)" — Marvin J. Ashton, "If Thou Endure It Well," General Conference, October 1984

(5/31/00)
"After obtaining a testimony of the gospel and the Lord's church, we should then strive to become pure in heart. This will result in happiness and eventually the promise of a society without contention. It is the Savior's way to peace." — "The Measure Of Our Hearts," General Conference, October 1988

(6/01/00)
"One may have many talents and knowledge but never acquire wisdom because he does not learn to be compassionate with his fellow man. We will never approach godliness until we learn to love and lift. Indifference to others and their plight denies us life's sweetest moments of joy and service." — "The Measure Of Our Hearts," General Conference, October 1988

(6/02/00)
"Brothers and sisters, I sincerely feel that one of the great purposes of family evenings and home teaching is to have family members realize that a brother can be a friend, and that a sister can be a friend, and that a father and a mother can be more than parents, they can be friends." — "Conference Report," October 1969, p. 28

(6/03/00)
"When family members tune each other out, communication is not taking place. Words spoken are unheard, unwanted, and resisted when we fail to understand the basics for proper interchange. Each must be willing to do his part to improve, since the family unit is the basic foundation of the Church. Proper communication will always be a main ingredient for building family solidarity and permanence." — "Family Communications," General Conference, April 1976

(6/04/00)
"A constant effort must be made to lift our daily conduct so that it squares with our knowledge of truth and our standards. Self-mastery must always triumph over self-deceit for us to taste the fruits of good cheer." — "Be of Good Cheer," General Conference, April 1986

(10/23/00)
"A warm handshake and a friendly smile can be wonderfully healing medicine. Conversely, how unwise we are when we declare, 'I'll never speak to him again.' Never is a long time, and even those who have caused heartache or shame are not beyond ultimate repentance. Sometimes hurts to the heart are more damaging than physical blows. Yes, they may take longer to heal, but they will heal more quickly if we avoid bitterness and anger and practice forgiveness." — Marvin J. Ashton, "While They Are Waiting," General Conference, April 1988

(3/5/03)
"A truly committed person does not falter in the face of adversity. Until one is committed, there is a chance to hesitate, to go off in another direction, or to be ineffective. Members within our ranks who are committed to living the gospel of Jesus Christ will not be affected by the rationale of hecklers." — Marvin J. Ashton, "Be of Good Cheer," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1987], p. 51

(4/9/03)
"Perhaps we would do well to involve ourselves in praying more quietly and continually. Strength, power, and discipline are rewards for communicating with God on a continuing personal and private basis. Quietly we can pray for the patience to have our secret prayers answered. Sometimes we fail to recognize answered prayers because we are expecting more than quiet answers." — Marvin J. Ashton, "The Measure of Our Hearts," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], p. 106

(5/09/03)
"To be in control of your life, to be a success regardless of your situation, whether happily married, unhappily married, a single parent, a widow, or a wife of an inactive husband, I recommend that you come to know your Father in heaven. Come to love Him, and always remember that He loves you and will give you guidance and support if you will but give Him the chance. Include Him in your decision making. Include Him when you take inventory of your personal worth. 'For behold, this life is the time for men [and women] to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men [and women] to perform their labors.' (Alma 34:32)" — Marvin J. Ashton, "Be of Good Cheer," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1987], p. 29

(6/04/03)
"Contention is a tool of the adversary. Peace is a tool of our Savior. What a wonderful tribute we pay people when we describe them as being gentle, firm, and calm! Contention stops progress. Love brings eternal progression. Where contention prevails, there can be no united effort in any purposeful direction." — Marvin J. Ashton, "The Measure of Our Hearts," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], p. 20

(8/03/03)
"Joshua reminds us of the importance of making decisions promptly: 'Choose you this day whom ye will serve;... but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' (Joshua 24:15) Not tomorrow, not when we get ready, not when it is convenient—but 'this day,' straightway, choose whom you will serve. He who invites us to follow will always be out in front of us with His Spirit and influence setting the pace. He has charted and marked the course, opened the gates, and shown the way. He has invited us to come unto Him, and the best time to enjoy His companionship is straightway. We can best get on the course and stay on the course by doing as Jesus did—make a total commitment to do the will of His Father." — Marvin J. Ashton, "Be of Good Cheer," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1987], p. 56

(8/07/03)
"When the Lord measures an individual, he does not use a tape measure around the person's head to determine his mental capacity, nor around his chest to determine his manliness. He measures the heart as an indicator of the person's capacity and potential to bless others. Why the heart? Because the heart is a symbol of one's entire makeup. We often use phrases about the heart to describe the total person. Thus, we describe people as being 'big-hearted' or 'goodhearted' or having 'a heart of gold.' Or we speak of people with faint hearts, wise hearts, pure hearts, willing hearts, deceitful hearts, conniving hearts, courageous hearts, cold hearts, hearts of stone, or selfish hearts. The measure of our hearts is the measure of our total performance. As the term is used by the Lord, our hearts describe our efforts to better ourselves or others or the conditions we confront." — Marvin J. Ashton, "The Measure of Our Hearts," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], p. 2

(11/21/03)
"A broken-hearted mother prays and mourns over a wayward son. In spite of her fasting and prayers, the young man continues on his wayward course. I am concerned about both the son and the mother, because they tell me they are sour on prayer. A brother who is faithful in the Church-paying his tithing, serving in the Church, and attending the temple-experiences failure in his marriage. He can't understand why the Lord doesn't get his wife to change. He tells me he prays for this every day. These are just two examples of individuals who felt that their prayers were not answered promptly or properly. "Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6.) Joseph Smith said, "We are looked upon by God as though we were in eternity. God dwells in eternity, and does not view things as we do." ("Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith," p. 356.) God sees things from an eternal perspective-not as we view things." - Marvin J. Ashton, "Know He Is There," Ensign, Feb. 1994, p. 53-54

(12/8/03)
"Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again." - Marvin J. Ashton, "The Tongue Can Be a Sharp Sword," Ensign, May 1992, p. 19

(7/8/04)
"Everything is given by God. All talent, creativity, ability, insight, and strength comes from him. In our own strength we can do nothing, as Ammon admitted to his brother. (See Alma 26:10-12.) When we seek the praise of man more than the praise of God, it will become easy to fall." - Marvin J. Ashton, "Neither Boast of Faith Nor of Mighty Works," Ensign, May 1990, p. 67

(7/30/04)
"Generally our Heavenly Father will not interfere with the agency of another person unless He has a greater purpose for that individual. Two examples come to mind: Saul, who became the Apostle Paul, and Alma the Younger. Both these men were deterred from their unrighteous objective of persecuting and trying to destroy the church of God. Both became great missionaries for the Church. But even as the Lord intervened, they were given choices. Alma, for example, was told, 'If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself, seek no more to destroy the church of God.' (Alma 36:11.)" - Marvin J. Ashton, "Know He Is There," Ensign, February 1994, p. 54

(9/25/04)
"It is very significant that when Jesus came forth from the tomb and appeared to his disciples, his first greeting was, 'Peace be unto you.' (Luke 24:36.) Peace-not passion, not personal possessions, not personal accomplishments nor happiness-is one of the greatest blessings a man can receive. Our trust and our relationship with our Heavenly Father should be one similar to that of the little blind girl and her earthly father. When sorrow, tragedy, and heartbreaks occur in our lives, wouldn't it be comforting if when the whisperings of God say, 'Do you know why this has happened to you?' we could have the peace of mind to answer 'No, but you do.'" - Marvin J. Ashton, "Peace-A Triumph of Principles," Ensign, November 1985, p. 69

(10/12/04)
"We must at regular and appropriate intervals speak and reassure others of our love and the long time it takes to prove it by our actions. Real love does take time. The Great Shepherd had the same thoughts in mind when he taught, 'If ye love me, keep my commandments' (John 14:15; italics added) and 'If ye love me feed my sheep' (John 21:16; italics added). Love demands action if it is to be continuing. Love is a process. Love is not a declaration. Love is not an announcement. Love is not a passing fancy. Love is not an expediency. Love is not a convenience. 'If ye love me, keep my commandments' and 'If ye love me feed my sheep' are God-given proclamations that should remind us we can often best show our love through the processes of feeding and keeping." - Marvin J. Ashton, "Love Takes Time," Ensign, November 1975, p. 108

(12/30/04)
"Following one of our recent general conference sessions, a troubled mother approached me and said, 'I need to know what is meant by the statement, 'No success can compensate for failure in the home.'' Knowing a little of the burdens this friend of mine carries in her mind and heart because of a rebellious, wayward daughter, I shared this meaning with her: I believe we start to fail in the home when we give up on each other. We have not failed until we have quit trying. As long as we are working diligently with love, patience, and long-suffering, despite the odds or the apparent lack of progress, we are not classified as failures in the home. We only start to fail when we give up on a son, daughter, mother, or father." - Marvin J. Ashton, "Love of the Right," Ensign, June 1971, p. 31-32

(2/19/05)
"Jesus set the pattern for us in his invitation, 'Come, follow me.' I think it is significant our Savior Jesus Christ declared, 'He that hath seen me hath seen the Father,' rather than 'He that hath heard me hath heard the Father.' The example bore witness. The life was the sermon. The life was the way." - Marvin J. Ashton, "You Can Get There From Here," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 101

(4/3/05)
"Scriptures such as 'be ye doers of the word ...' (Jas. 1:22), and 'But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved ...' (D&C 45:32) take on new significance as we realize our responsibility to act and not react.

"Our Prophet Joseph Smith was a man of action. Torture, belittlement, and all manner of inhumane affliction, including a pending martyr's death, did not halt nor even slow down his life of purposeful action. He acted as one totally committed to 'I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation. ...' (Rom. 1:16.) He didn't just think about the gospel or react to it; he lived it. He was true to himself and to those principles he valued more than life itself." - Marvin J. Ashton, "Conference Report," October 1970, p. 38