The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(1/31/99)
"Brothers and sisters, these are our days. This is our time on
earth!... And in these days, being of good cheer is part of being
valiant in the testimony of Jesus." — Neal A. Maxwell,
Be Of Good Cheer, General Conference,
October 1982
(2/1/99)
"Every Latter-day Saint knows that to be found in the discharge
of his duty makes him a happy man, and when he is not in the discharge
of his duty there is an uneasiness about him which makes him feel that
something is wrong." — Matthias F. Cowley, General
Conference Reports, April 1902, p. 39
(2/2/99)
"Our strength and our peace and our happiness are in the Lord. In
this world of trial and affliction, we have need of the comforting and
qualifying assurances that come with faith in God and repentance and
service to his cause. If we will acknowledge him, be thankful, serve
him, love his children, and accept the responsibilities of being truly
Christian, we will be happy, notwithstanding problems or troubles."
— Marion D. Hanks, Joy Through Christ,
General Conference, April 1972
(2/3/99)
"No trial is joyous for the present but grievous to be borne; but
trials yield their blessings, when patiently endured." — John
Taylor, Journal of Discourses, Vol.6, p.166-7
(2/4/99)
"Let us not take the negative side of life. Very little good has
been really accomplished by men who took that attitude. It is the men
who assume the positive attitude in life that accomplish worthwhile
things." — Don B. Colton, Conference
Report, October 1933, p.55
(10/12/00)
"Christ and His angels and prophets forever labor to buoy up our
spirits, steady our nerves, calm our hearts, and send us forth with
renewed strength and resolute hope. They wish all to know that 'if God
be for us, who can be against us?' In the world we shall have
tribulation, but we are to be of good cheer. Christ has overcome the
world. Through His suffering and His obedience He has earned and
rightly bears the crown of 'Prince of Peace.'" — "The
Peaceable Things of the Kingdom", Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, General
Conference, October 1996
(10/13/00)
"We should seek to be happy and cheerful and not allow Satan to
overcome us with discouragement, despair, or depression. As President
Benson said, 'Of all people, we as Latter-day Saints should be the most
optimistic and the least pessimistic' ('Do Not Despair,' Ensign, Oct.
1986, p. 2). Where sin is the cause of unhappiness, we need to repent
and return to a righteous life because 'wickedness never was happiness'
(Alma 41:10). 'You cannot do wrong and feel right. It is impossible'
(Ezra Taft Benson, 'To The Rising Generation,' New Era, June 1986, p.
5)." — "Seeking The Good", Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin,
General Conference, April 1992
(10/14/00)
"All who know and understand the glorious work of redemption wrought by
the Lord Jesus Christ and all who know of his majesty and power and
promises understand why they are to be of good cheer. They who have
come to know him do not fear! They look unto him in 'every thought.'
They 'doubt not,' and they 'fear not.' (D&C 6:36.) They know that
he, the Lord Jesus Christ, is with them and that he will stand by them!
(See D&C 6:32; 29:4-7; 32:3; 84:87-88.)" — "Jesus
Christ, The Son Of The Living God", Elder John M. Madsen, General
Conference, April 1993
(4/5/01)
"Let me just say as a concluding thought that this is a positive
gospel. We ought to be the happiest people in the world. The gospel of
Jesus Christ is a great building force. It teaches people to be happy
and to always wear a smile." — Paul H. Dunn, "What Is a
Teacher?" Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 120
(4/6/01)
"There are some things you can’t change. But either way, if you attack
the problems you face, if you learn to look positively at the negatives
in your life, you can become happy and successful in spite of
challenges." — Joe J. Christensen, "What It Takes to Be
Happy and Successful," New Era, Feb. 1989, p. 48
(4/7/01)
"We need to find the abundant life as we go along. How can we be happy
tomorrow if our “nows” are filled with self-inflicted unhappinesses and
unwise delays? Generally speaking, those inclined to count their daily
blessings have more to count because they help make more possible as
they learn gratitude. A constant waiting for a brighter future may
cause us to lose the beautiful today. Some spend so much time getting
ready to live for an unknown future, too late they discover there is no
time to live. Very often in our anxiousness for the joys of the future
we run away from the very things we are wanting and needing today. An
appropriate examination of the passing moment will prove it leads to
eternity. We need to constantly remind ourselves eternity is in process
now." — Marvin J. Ashton, "The Time Is Now," Ensign, May
1975, p. 85
(4/8/01)
"Despite trials, worldly confusion, and caustic voices, we can trust in
the Lord and go forward with happy hearts, knowing that with every
challenge or problem, there’s the strength to go on. Why? Because we
know His promises are real, that He does know us by name and has a plan
for each of us. He will help us learn what it is and give us joy in
doing it." — Elaine L. Jack, "Charity Never Faileth,"
Ensign, May 1992, p. 91
(4/9/01)
"If we keep a cheerful countenance, with a smile for all, it helps to
reflect our feeling of love toward all. Cultivate an attitude of
optimism. A recognition and appreciation of self is important to
cultivate. Keeping in mind that we are children of God should help us
to feel that with this royal heritage it is most important that we make
of ourselves optimistic, happy, worthy individuals. The world is full
of unhappy, lonely individuals." — Camilla E. Kimball,
"Responsibilities to Ourselves," New Era, July 1980, p. 8
(4/30/05)
"Jesus Christ told the Twelve Apostles some of the things that can
destroy our hope and make us give up: allowing ourselves to fall into
temptation; not enduring affliction, tribulation, and persecution;
fearing 'the cares' of the world; seeking wealth first; giving up
instead of enduring to the end; and allowing false prophets to deceive
us. ( Matthew 13:19-23 .)
"What gives us courage and hope?
"The Lord's invitation to each of us is 'come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' ( Matthew 11:28 .)
Jesus Christ has the power to give us rest from our pain and
suffering." - Adhemar Damiani, " Be of Good Cheer and Faithful in Adversity
," General Conference, April 2005
7/27/07
"To be cheerful when others are in despair, to keep the faith when
others falter, to be true even when we feel forsaken—all of these are
deeply desired outcomes during the deliberate, divine tutorials which
God gives to us—because He loves us. (See Mosiah 3:19.) These
learning experiences must not be misread as divine indifference.
Instead, such tutorials are a part of the divine unfolding." - Neal
A. Maxwell, "Be of Good Cheer," Ensign (CR), November 1982, p.66
3/1/09
"I doubt not that God
lives. His providence is over his Church and over the world, and a good
time is coming. I can see behind the dark clouds present, the silver
lining of a better day, the glorious consummation of those precious
promises that have inspired the utterances of the prophets of God from
the beginning until this day, that this is but preparation for the
coming of the great Son of God to live upon the earth."
- Melvin J. Ballard, "Conference
Report," April 1917, Second Overflow Meeting, p.120
3/5/09
"Get into the habit of being
happy. I tell you can do it. You can say to yourself when you are
awakened in the morning, 'Everything
is all right,' and keep on
saying it. You will be surprised to find how nearly all right the mere
saying of it at the beginning of the day will really make everything
right after all. This is true in business as well as in the home.
Prophets of gloom are never popular, and ought not to be." - Reed
Smoot, "Conference Report," October 1938, Afternoon Meeting, p.123
4/16/09
"Why is it that as humans we tend to emphasize the negative when there
is so much to be positive about? We not only constantly criticize our
children and each other, find fault, are very judgmental, and often
seek out and build up people's weaknesses and failings rather than
their strengths and successes, but in our own personal life-styles
there are those of us who are incessant, chronic worriers. We worry
about all the negative things that could happen, but usually don't,
rather than positively trying to face problems with some amount of
faith and hope of success." - Paul H. Dunn, By Faith and Hope, All
Things Are Fulfilled, Ensign (CR), May 1987, p.73
5/9/10
"In all of this, I suppose it goes without saying that negative
speaking so often flows from negative thinking, including negative
thinking about ourselves. We see our own faults, we speak—or at least
think—critically of ourselves, and before long that is how we see
everyone and everything. No sunshine, no roses, no promise of hope or
happiness. Before long we and everybody around us are miserable.
"I love what Elder Orson F. Whitney once said: 'The spirit of the
gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of
things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from
God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield
obedience.' We should honor the Savior's declaration to 'be of good
cheer.'" - Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Tongue of Angels," Ensign (CR)
May
2007