Refer your friends to join The LDS Daily WOOL (Words Of Our Leaders)
(3/11/01)
"Pause long enough to measure your acquaintance with spiritual gifts
and powers. See whether foresight, discernment, sanctification,
revelation, spiritual gifts, angelic speech, peace of assurance, and
attendant blessings are evident in your life. Determine whether
spiritual experiences are sprinkled generously throughout your daily
living. And, if you find yourself wanting, have the courage to change
and place your life in order." — Carlos E. Asay, "The Companionship of
the Holy Ghost," Ensign, Apr. 1988, p. 17
(3/12/01)
"When you are honest with yourself, you may feel afraid. To change
will require you to take an unfamiliar path, and it is uphill and
narrow. The other is so inviting, but it leads to heartache. None of
your partners in error will help you onto the upward path. They think
only of themselves. (See D&C 10:25.) You know the result of
following their path—unhappiness, failure, disappointment, and greater
fear. They don’t love you. They want to use you. Don’t listen to
them." — Richard G. Scott, "Finding the Way Back," Ensign, May 1990,
p. 74
(3/13/01)
"To change or break some of our chains even in a small way means to
give up some behavior or habits that have been very important to us in
the past. Generally this is frightening. Change involves risks. 'How
will people react and respond to me if I change and am different?'
Even if our present way of life is painful and self-destructive, some
of us think it serves a purpose, and so we become comfortable with it.
Every worthy change means risk—the risk of losing an old and damaging
habit for a new and improved way of life." — Marvin J. Ashton, "Shake
Off the Chains with Which Ye Are Bound," Ensign, Nov. 1986, p. 15
(3/14/01)
"I know that one of our greatest blessings as Latter-day Saints is
that we need never look back. We need never ask what might have been.
Should I have dropped out of school or struggled to get my degree?
Should I have married Sally instead of the girl I did marry? What if I
had taken that job in the East instead of teaching school? If we have
been worthy, and if we have followed the guidance of the Spirit as
manifested in the feelings of our heart, then we can know beyond doubt
that what has been done was best." — F. Burton Howard, "The Gift of
Knowing," Ensign, Sept. 1983, p. 33
(3/15/01)
"I firmly believe that activities and practices, even traditions that
do not adhere to gospel standards, can be changed. Young women, you
can unite and use positive peer influence to help bring about needed
change. There is great power to change when there is unity—in
families, in wards and stakes, in neighborhoods and schools—especially
when motivated by righteous principles. However, if unacceptable
activities are not changed by these efforts, then choose not to
participate in them. You can do that. I know you can." — Ardeth G.
Kapp, "'Crickets' Can Be Destroyed through Spirituality," Ensign, Nov.
1990, p. 94
(1/6/02)
"There is nothing so unchanging, so inevitable as change itself. The
things we see, touch, and feel are always changing. Relationships
between friends, husband and wife, father and son, brother and sister
are all dynamic, changing relationships. There is a constant that
allows us to use change for our own good, and that constant is the
revealed eternal truths of our Heavenly Father." — Marvin J. Ashton,
"Progress through Change," "Ensign," Nov. 1979, 61
(1/7/02)
"An honest heart will lead to a change of heart. Spiritually speaking,
a change of heart is not only desirable, but essential for eternal
life. The Book of Mormon describes the conversion experience, which
all of us must have, as a 'mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that
we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.'
(Mosiah 5:2.)"— Marvin J. Ashton, "The Measure of Our Hearts,"
"Ensign," Nov. 1988, 15-16
(1/8/02)
"A periodic review of the covenants we have made with the Lord will
help us with our priorities and with balance in our lives. This review
will help us see where we need to repent and change our lives to
ensure that we are worthy of the promises that accompany our covenants
and sacred ordinances. Working out our own salvation requires good
planning and a deliberate, valiant effort." — M. Russell Ballard,
"Keeping Life's Demands in Balance," "Ensign," May 1987, 14
(1/9/02)
"I believe that words and actions are rooted in our thoughts and that
our thoughts determine our deeds. Our daily decisions, planned or
spontaneous, are the result of our thoughts, and we are responsible
for them. Although we as individuals might think that we are and can
act independently of God, we cannot escape the realization that we are
subject to eternal laws. Our happiness and our peace in this life, as
well as in the life after, depend on our readiness to base our
thoughts and actions on God-given laws. True peace of mind and
everlasting happiness come from being in harmony with God. If we are
to be one with Deity, then it is we who must change--and not God." —
Hans B. Ringger, "Lord, to Whom Shall We Go?" "Ensign," Nov.
1995, 83
(1/10/02)
"A person's attitude is perhaps the hardest of all personal attributes
to change. If your attitude is right, then your life is made right. If
your heart is touched, your mind and way of thinking will change and
your life will change for the better accordingly. I believe we must
become so immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we become
physically as well as mentally more and more like the Lord himself. We
must yield our whole hearts to him. What we then do is done not
because we are asked to, nor because we are forced to, but because we
want to. Neither pressure nor force can be exerted upon us from
outside, when what we do is done because it is our own choice and
desire. It then makes no difference to us what other men may think, or
say, or do. Our hearts being committed wholly to God, what we do is
done out of our love for and our trust in him. We then serve God in
every way we can because we have been converted, our attitude has been
changed and we now desire to become like him both spiritually and
physically." — Theodore M. Burton, "The Need for Total Commitment,"
"Ensign," Jan. 1974, 115
(4/25/04)
"A change of heart and a will to live righteously can bind Satan.
Thus, in the Book of Mormon we find accounts of those who had received
a mighty change in their hearts and could say, 'We have no more
disposition to do evil, but to do good continually' (Mosiah
5:2; see also Alma
19:33)." - Clyde J. Williams, "A
Shield against Evil," Ensign, January 1996, p. 33
(10/15/05)
"We can improve, and when all is
said and done that's what this is all about: improvement, changing
our lives so that we can help people change their lives and be
better. And let's build Zion in the earth. That's what it is all
about." - Gordon B. Hinckley, "Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley,"
p.726
4/10/07
"We are instructed to 'come unto Christ, and be perfected in
him, and deny [ourselves] of all ungodliness' (Moroni
10:32), to become 'new creature[s]' in Christ (see 2
Corinthians 5:17), to put off 'the natural man' (Mosiah
3:19), and to experience 'a mighty change in us, or in our
hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good
continually' (Mosiah
5:2). Please note that the conversion described in these verses
is mighty, not minor—a spiritual rebirth and fundamental change of
what we feel and desire, what we think and do, and what we are.
Indeed, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a
fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made possible
through our reliance upon 'the merits, and mercy, and grace of the
Holy Messiah' (2 Nephi
2:8). As we choose to follow the Master, we choose to be
changed—to be spiritually reborn." - David A. Bednar, "Ye
Must Be Born Again," General Conference, April 2007
9/21/07
"Do not doubt your abilities. Do not delay your worthy impressions.
With God's help, you cannot fail. He will give you the courage to
participate in meaningful change and purposeful living. We need to
repent, straightway, and trust in His reality and capacity to assist
us in knowing the abundant life. He will help us learn to be sensitive
to our own needs and to those of others. Those who fear,
procrastinate. Those who change for the better show progress
straightway and become wiser and stronger. We need to develop the
courage to straightway take the first step. We need to remember that
children learn to walk only because someone encourages them to take
the first step." - Marvin J. Ashton, "Straightway,"
Ensign (CR), May 1983, p.30
10/10/07
"If we fail to recognize the personal spiritual challenge of political
and economic changes and constant new threats to the moral and
spiritual stability of individuals and families, we will fail to
recognize the needs and requirements to adapt to these new conditions
by finding within ourselves a firm and true foundation that will
determine a firm and true behavior." - Charles Didier, "Testimony,"
Ensign (CR), November 1991, p.62
3/11/08
"When
we truly understand how great a blessing the gospel of Jesus Christ is
in our lives, when we accept and embrace these eternal truths and
allow them to sink deep into our hearts and souls, we experience
a 'mighty change'
(Alma 5:14) in
our hearts. We are filled with love and gratitude. As the prophet Alma
wrote, we feel 'to sing
the song of redeeming love' (Alma
5:26) to all who will hear it."
- M. Russell Ballard, "Creating
a Gospel-Sharing Home,"
CR April 2006
5/19/08
"Certain things man has to do.
Not much stress is laid upon knowledge but much upon understanding and
habits of virtue and the cultivation of a brotherly good will towards
all mankind. He is taught that as in dealing with his fellowmen he
extends kindness, shows mercy, observes justice, practices
self-denial, curbs ambition, denies greed, bestows love, banishes
hate, gives succor, lives humbly, reveres right and respects the
sacredness of human beings, he is contributing to the establishment of
peace and good order and happiness in the world and is cultivating in
himself those qualities of virtue which will raise him toward the
level of his high destiny."
- Albert E. Bowen, "Conference Report," April 1939, Afternoon
Meeting, p.94 - 95
1/20/09
"In
the laboratory the chemist may take an element and, by heat and
pressure, change it completely in its physical properties. It is
possible to take black amorphous charcoal and, under the influence of
heat and pressure, to change it into transparent, crystalline
diamonds. If lifeless, inert matter may be changed, a greater
transformation may be expected in the souls of men, when, under God's
influence, by the power that comes from the use of the truths that God
has revealed to his children, men obey the gospel. Such a chance,
coming into human lives, is greater than that from the black charcoal
to the luminous white diamond. The lives of Latter-day Saints, by the
tens of thousands, attest that such a transformation is possible; that
there lies in the gospel of Jesus Christ the power for man to achieve
perfection, even in this life, physically, mentally, spiritually and
in every way, if only he will give himself to the ideal of perfection."
- John A. Widtsoe, "Conference
Report," October 1925,
Afternoon Session, p.139
4/12/09
"We
are instructed to 'come
unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny [ourselves] of all
ungodliness' (Moroni
10:32), to become 'new
creature[s]' in Christ (see 2
Corinthians 5:17), to put off 'the
natural man' (Mosiah
3:19), and to experience 'a
mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more
disposition to do evil, but to do good continually'
(Mosiah 5:2).
Please note that the conversion described in these verses is mighty,
not minor—a spiritual rebirth
and fundamental change of what we feel and desire, what we think and
do, and what we are. Indeed, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ
entails a fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made
possible through our reliance upon 'the
merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah'
(2 Nephi 2:8). As
we choose to follow the Master, we choose to be changed—to
be spiritually reborn." - David
A. Bednar, "Ye
Must Be Born Again," CR April 2007
1/26/10
“Man can transform himself and he must. Man has in himself the seeds
of godhood, which can germinate and grow and develop. As the acorn
becomes the oak, the mortal man becomes a god. It is within his power
to lift himself by his very bootstraps from the plane on which he
finds himself to the plane on which he should be. It may be a long,
hard lift with many obstacles, but it is a real possibility.” - Spencer
W. Kimball, “The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball,” edited by Edward
L. Kimball, p. 28
5/8/10
"To
follow Christ is to become more like Him. It is to learn from His
character. As spirit children of our Heavenly Father, we do have the
potential to incorporate Christlike attributes into our life and
character. The Savior invites us to learn His gospel by living His
teachings. To follow Him is to apply correct principles and then witness
for ourselves the blessings that follow. This process is very complex
and very simple at the same time. Ancient and modern prophets described
it with three words: 'Keep the commandments'...nothing more, nothing
less." - Dieter F. Uchtdorf,
"Christlike Attributes—the Wind beneath Our Wings," Ensign, (CR)
November 2005
6/16/10
"In abandoning
evil, transforming lives, changing personalities, molding characters or
remolding them, we need the help of the Lord, and we may be assured of
it if we do our part. The man who leans heavily upon his Lord becomes
the master of self and can accomplish anything he sets out to do,
whether it be to secure the brass plates, build a ship, overcome a
habit, or conquer a deep-seated transgression." - "Teachings
of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball," p. 45
7/1/11
"Some say
that the leap of faith is when we begin to believe in God, and that
is, indeed, a very significant moment. However, the real leap occurs
when the beginning believer forsakes his self-centeredness and begins
loving God with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. Compliance
with that first commandment takes us on a journey that is so demanding
that many never even try it. It is a journey that requires a complete
letting go of the old self and old ways. No wonder God has declared
that all the law and the prophets hang on the first and second
commandments!" - Neal
A. Maxwell, "Notwithstanding My Weakness," p.31
12/13/11
True doctrine,
understood, changes attitudes and behavior.
The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker
than a study of behavior will improve behavior. Preoccupation with
unworthy behavior can lead to unworthy behavior. That is why we stress
so forcefully the study of the doctrines of the gospel. - Boyd K.
Packer, "Little
Children," Ensign (CR) October 2011
12/27/11
When in prayerful meditation a man confirms his faith in God and sees
that his world is essentially spiritual, although superficially it seems
to be wholly material. He sees evidence everywhere of plan and purpose
and design; he tries instinctively to relate himself to that plan, to
find his place in the scheme of things. He becomes anxious to bring his
life into harmony with God's will. This necessitates some changes in his
habits. He wishes to forsake the wrong way—evil, the cause of misery—and
seek the right way—good, which leads to happiness, to rich and radiant
living. This changing of one's course, forsaking bad habits, and
adopting new and better ways of living, is in gospel language called
repentance. - Hugh B. Brown, "The
Eternal Quest," p.289
1/18/12
There are those today
who say that man is the result of his environment and cannot rise above
it. Those who justify mediocrity, failure, and even weakness and
criminality are certainly misguided. Surely the environmental conditions
found in childhood and youth are an influence of power. But the fact
remains that every normal soul has its free agency and the power to row
against the current and to lift himself to new planes of activity and
thought and development, Man can transform himself. Man must transform
himself. - Spencer W. Kimball, "The
Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball," edited by Edward L. Kimball, p.169
4/23/14
Once
this man decided—once any of us conclude—“That’s just the way
I am,” we give up our ability to change. We might as well
raise the white flag, put down our weapons, concede the
battle, and just surrender—any prospect of winning is lost.
While some of us may think that does not describe us, perhaps
every one of us demonstrates by at least one or two bad
habits, “That’s just the way I am.” - Donald
L. Hallstrom, “What
Manner of Men?” Ensign (CR) May 2014
8/21/14
If our works and the desires of our hearts are the ultimate criteria
of our character, how do we measure up? What kind of heart should we
seek? For what kind of heart should we pray? How should we measure
the worth of other people? - Marvin
J. Ashton, “The
Measure of Our Hearts,” Ensign (CR) November 1988
9/30/15
We have our problems and we have them aplenty. Little by little, one
misdeed, one deception, one self-centered act, one person at a time,
the character of the American people is being reshaped. Thus, if we
are to change society, we must change ourselves. For one person can
make a difference. It was one woman, the Jewish Queen Esther, who
ignored personal danger, spoke truth, and saved a people. Surely the
words Mordecai spoke to her apply to us all: "Who knoweth whether thou
art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (Esther
4:14). - Sheri L. Dew, "No
One Can Take Your Place”
12/31/15
A person's attitude is perhaps the hardest of all personal
attributes to change. If your attitude is right, then your life is
made right. If your heart is touched, your mind and way of thinking
will change and your life will change for the better accordingly. I
believe we must become so immersed in the gospel of Jesus Christ
that we become physically as well as mentally more and more like the
Lord himself. We must yield our whole hearts to him. What we then do
is done not because we are asked to, nor because we are forced to,
but because we want to. - Theodore
M. Burton, "The
Need for Total Commitment," Ensign (CR), January 1974, p.114
3/6/16
This world would be, comparatively, a heaven if men could be brought
to understand and know the living and true God. They who are able to
receive and who do receive the restored truth concerning God are
literally transformed by their knowledge of, and faith in, him. - Marion
G. Romney, "Conference Report," October 1964, Second Day-Morning
Meeting, p.51
7/31/16
We always see the guideposts in our life more clearly after we have
passed them and have reached a higher vantage point. If we were more
alert to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we would see them before
we reach them and thereby be guided more effectively. This process
requires self-mastery, self-control, and a heart willing to accept
change. - Richard G. Scott, “Happiness
Now and Forever,” Ensign (CR), November 1979, p.70
12/31/16
The wayward son, the
willful daughter, the pouting husband, the nagging wife—all can change.
There can occur a parting of the clouds, a break in the storm. Maturity
comes, friendships alter, circumstances vary. “Cast in concrete” need
not describe human behavior.
From the perspective of eternity, our sojourn in this life is ever so
brief. Detours are costly; they must be shunned. The spiritual nature
within us should not be dominated by the physical. It behooves each of
us to remember who he or she is and what God expects him or her to
become. – Thomas S. Monson, “The
Will Within,” Ensign (CR) May 1987
Refer your friends to join The LDS Daily WOOL (Words Of Our Leaders)