The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(5/27/98)
"Friendship is an extremely important part of your life. Someone
has said a true friend is someone who makes it easier to live the gospel
of Jesus Christ."—Elder Malcolm S. Jeppsen, Who Is A True Friend?,
General Conference, April 1990
(5/28/98)
"It takes courage to be a real friend. Some of us endanger the
valued classification of friend because of our unwillingness to be one
under all circumstances. Fear can deprive us of friendship. Some of us
identify our closest friends as those with the courage to remain and
share themselves with us under all circumstances. A friend is a person
who will suggest and render the best for us regardless of the immediate
consequences. Sir Winston Churchill became Great Britain's greatest
friend in his country's darkest hour because he was courageous enough to
call for 'blood, toil, tears, and sweat' when some would have accepted
him more readily as a friend had he advocated peaceful surrender."—Elder
Marvin J. Ashton, What Is A Friend?, General Conference, October
1972
(5/29/98)
"One can fellowship and friendship others—indeed we must—without
taking out a membership in the country club at Sodom."Elder Neal A.
Maxwell, Wherefore Ye Must Press Forward, p.76
(5/30/98)
"True friendship may well be the best thing that we can do to help
reach those who may be drifting toward unsafe and morally damaging
activities and counterfeit forms of belonging."—Elder M. Russell
Ballard, Standing for Truth and Right, General Conference,
October 1997
(5/31/98)
"Friendship is one of the grand fundamental principles of
'Mormonism'; [it is designed] to revolutionize and civilize the world,
and cause wars and contentions to cease and men to become friends and
brothers."—"The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith" page 316
(8/24/00)
"Who is the enemy of mankind? He who wishes to change truth for error
and light for darkness; he who wishes to take peace from a family, city,
state or nation and give the sword in return. He is my enemy, he is your
enemy and the enemy of mankind. Who is the friend of mankind? He who
makes peace between those who are at enmity, who brings together those
who, perhaps, through some misunderstanding, have been at variance with
and lost friendship and fellowship for each other, and shows them that
their ill-will is without foundation and existed simply because they did
not understand each other." — "Discourses of Brigham Young", p.71
(8/25/00)
"Among life's sweetest blessings is fellowship with men and women whose
ideals and aspirations are high and noble. Next to a sense of kinship
with God come the helpfulness, encouragement, and inspiration of
friends. Friendship is a sacred possession. As air, water, and sunshine
to flowers, trees, and verdure, so smiles, sympathy, and love of friends
to the daily life of man! 'To live, laugh, love one's friends, and be
loved by them is to bask in the sunshine of life.'" — David O. McKay,
"Gospel Ideals", p.253
(8/26/00)
"The fellowship of true friends who can hear you out, share your joys,
help carry your burdens, and correctly counsel you is priceless. For one
who has been in the prison of depression, the words of the Prophet
Joseph Smith have special meaning: 'How sweet the voice of a friend is;
one token of friendship from any source whatever awakens and calls into
action every sympathetic feeling' (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, p. 134)." — "Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson", p.273-274
(8/27/00)
"Some of us are not the good brothers and sisters we should be in those
circumstances when a friend is being criticized. Our conduct must rise
above the morality of the chicken coop in which, once a chicken is
wounded, all the other chickens peck away at its bloody head. If only we
could simply remember that while we need to deal frankly with mistakes
(our own and those of others) when people have erred, they need us more
than ever. We can offer support without approving of the error." — Neal
A. Maxwell, "Wherefore Ye Must Press Forward", p.93
(8/28/00)
"In giving our service to others, we need to remember President
Hinckley's counsel to extend the hand of fellowship and to share our
love with the hundreds of thousands who join the Church as converts each
year. The greatest tool the Lord has to welcome new converts warmly and
'keep them in the right way' is the love each of us extends by taking
the time to introduce ourselves to new members, learning their names,
listening to them, and learning something about them." — Elder Joseph B.
Wirthlin, "The Time to Prepare", General Conference, April 1998
(8/29/00)
"I would add a suggestion for avoiding undue temptation. Young men and
women, not yet ready for marriage, should be friends with many others,
but they should not engage in courting. Immaturity makes them
susceptible to temptation. We want them to grow up clean, with a life
plan for missions, then wholesome courting and eternal marriage in the
holy temple. It is timing that is vital. The sexual relationship that is
wrong before marriage is right, and beautiful as part of the union
encouraged by God. Friendship, not courtship, should be the relationship
of teenagers." — "The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball", p.288
(4/30/02)
"The friends we choose to associate with are main contributing factors
in the formation of our character. We form social habits by association
with our friends. These habits can be useful when directed towards the
formation of a wholesome personality." — L. Tom Perry, "Good Friends,"
"New Era," Feb. 1993, p. 4
(5/01/02)
"Friends help to determine your future. You will tend to be like them
and to be found where they choose to go. Remember, the path we follow in
this life leads to the path we follow in the next." — Thomas S. Monson,
"In Harm's Way," "Ensign," May 1998, p. 47
(5/02/02)
"Like so much of what is worthwhile in life, our needs for friendship
are often best met in the home. If our children feel friendship within
the family, with each other, and with parents, they will not be
desperate for acceptance outside the family. I think one of life's most
satisfying accomplishments for my wife and me is to have lived long
enough to see our children become good friends. It's definitely a
miracle that those in our family who in younger years occasionally
threatened one another with serious bodily harm now seek out and
genuinely enjoy each other's friendship. Similarly, I think no finer
compliment can be paid to parents than to have children say that their
parents are among their best friends." — Marlin K. Jensen, "Friendship:
A Gospel Principle," "Ensign," May 1999, p. 64
(5/03/02)
"We need a more peaceful world, growing out of more peaceful families
and neighborhoods and communities. To secure and cultivate such peace,
'we must love others, even our enemies as well as our friends.' The
world needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. Those who are filled with the
love of Christ do not seek to force others to do better; they inspire
others to do better, indeed inspire them to the pursuit of God. We need
to extend the hand of friendship. We need to be kinder, more gentle,
more forgiving, and slower to anger. We need to love one another with
the pure love of Christ. May this be our course and our desire." —
Howard W. Hunter, "A More Excellent Way," "Ensign," May 1992, p. 63
2/23/06
"The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that 'friendship is one of the grand
fundamental principles of Mormonism.' (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, sel. Joseph Fielding Smith (1976), 316.) That thought ought to
inspire and motivate all of us because I feel that friendship is a
fundamental need of our world. I think in all of us there is a profound
longing for friendship, a deep yearning for the satisfaction and
security that close and lasting relationships can give. Perhaps one
reason the scriptures make little specific mention of the principle of
friendship is because it should be manifest quite naturally as we live
the gospel. In fact, if the consummate Christian attribute of charity
has a first cousin, it is friendship. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul
slightly, friendship 'suffereth long, and is kind; [friendship] envieth
not; seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no
evil; [friendship] never faileth.' (1
Cor. 13:4-8.)" - Marlin K. Jensen, "Friendship:
A Gospel Principle," Ensign (CR), May 1999, p.64
3/27/06
"The First Epistle of John tells us that if we do not have good
relationships with our neighbors, whom we have seen, we cannot
rightfully claim to love God, whom we have not seen. (1
Jn. 4:20.)
"Do we take time occasionally to read the Sermon on the Mount? It refers
largely to our relationships with one another. Let me mention just a few
of its principles." - Mark E. Petersen, "Do
Unto Others...," Ensign (CR), May 1977, p.73
2/27/07
"We pray to our Father in Heaven in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus is
the great Mediator. Though omnipotent and omniscient, all-powerful and
all-knowing, He is our friend. After counseling early Brethren of the
Church to 'set in order your own house,' He said, 'I will call you
friends, for you are my friends' (D&C
93:43, 45). With all of His greatness, He has said that He is our
friend. We have been asked to be a friend to our neighbors and to teach
them the gospel, and to be a friend to new converts, that the fruit of
our labors may remain (see John
15:16). Our prophet has asked us to be a friend. Can our prophet
expect anything less?" - Robert D. Hales, "In
Remembrance of Jesus," Ensign (CR), November 1997, p.24
8/20/07
"A powerful idea with immediate practical application is the reality
that we can pray to our Heavenly Father, and he will hear our prayers
and help us in the way that is best for us. Most of us have
experienced the terrible empty feeling that comes from being separated
from those who love us. If we remember that we can pray and be heard
and helped, we can always withstand that feeling of emptiness. We can
always be in touch with a powerful friend who loves us and helps us,
in his own time and in his own way." - Dallin H. Oaks, "Powerful
Ideas," Ensign (CR), November 1995, p.25
6/25/09
“A
friend is a priceless possession because a true friend is one who is
willing to take us the way we are but is able to leave us better than
he found us. We are poor when we lose friends, because generally they
are willing to reprove, admonish, love, encourage, and guide for our
best good. A friend lifts the heavy heart, says the encouraging word,
and assists in supplying our daily needs. As friends, we make
ourselves available without delay to those who need us.” -
Marvin J. Ashton, “Ye Are My Friends,” p. 27
6/3/10
"Do we feel about friendship as
the Prophet Joseph did? Do we turn our good feelings into practical
assistance? God knows the needs of His children, and He often works
through us, prompting us to help one another. When we act on such
promptings, we tread on holy ground, for we are allowed the opportunity
to serve as an agent of God in answering a prayer." - Kathleen
H. Hughes, "What Greater Goodness Can We Know: Christlike Friends,"
Ensign (CR), April 2005
3/12/14
The Saints of God have always
been under covenant to nourish each other spiritually, especially
those tender in the gospel. We are blessed to live in a time when a
great increase in that capacity to nourish new members of the Church
must and therefore will be poured out upon the faithful Saints. That
power has been given before among the Lord’s people. - Henry
B. Eyring, “Feed
My Lambs,” Ensign (CR) November 1997
8/10/14
Heavenly
Father has given us a priceless gift in our capacity to
communicate with each other. Our communications are at the core
of our relationships with others. If we are to return home
safely to Heavenly Father, we must develop righteous
relationships with His children here in mortality. - L.
Lionel Kendrick, “Christlike
Communications,” Ensign (CR) November 1988
11/20/14
One
who really understands and practices empathy doesn’t solve
another’s problems, doesn’t argue, doesn’t top his story,
make accusations, or take away free agency. He merely
helps the person build his self-reliance and self-image so
he can try to find his own solutions. - Marvin
J. Ashton, “Give
with Wisdom That They May Receive with Dignity,”
Ensign (CR) October 1981
12/18/14
If
you want to stay close to someone who has been dear
to you, but from whom you are separated, you know
how to do it. You would find a way to speak to them,
you would listen to them, and you would discover
ways to do things for each other. The more often
that happened, the longer it went on, the deeper
would be the bond of affection. If much time passed
without the speaking, the listening, and the doing,
the bond would weaken.
God is perfect and omnipotent, and you and I are
mortal. But he is our Father, he loves us, and he
offers the same opportunity to draw closer to him as
would a loving friend. And you will do it in much
the same way: speaking, listening, and doing. - Henry
B. Eyring, “To
Draw Closer to God,” Ensign (CR) April
1991
9/13/16
Cultivate good friends who do not try to make
you choose between their ways and the Lord's
ways. Be the kind of friend who makes it
easier for others to obey the commandments
when they are with you. - Robert
D. Hales, “If
Thou Wilt Enter into Life, Keep
the Commandments,” Ensign
(CR), May 1996, p.35