The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(7/23/00)
"A worried society now begins to see that the disintegration of the
family brings upon the world the calamities foretold by the prophets.
The world's councils and deliberations will succeed only when they
define the family as the Lord has revealed it to be. 'Except the Lord
build the house, they labour in vain that build it' (Ps. 127:1)." —
"Exceeding Great And Precious Promises", Pres. Howard W. Hunter,
General Conference, October 1994
(7/24/00)
"When parents themselves have complied with the ordinances of
salvation, when they have set the example of a temple marriage, not
only is their own marriage more likely to succeed, but their children
are far more likely to follow their example." — "Fundamentals Of
Enduring Family Relationships", President Ezra Taft Benson , General
Conference, October 1982
(7/25/00)
"When one deals in generalities, he will rarely have a success; but
when he deals in specifics, he will rarely have a failure." — "The
Priesthood--A Sacred Trust", President Thomas S. Monson , General
Conference, April 1994
(7/26/00)
"We need to come to terms with our desire to reach perfection and with
our frustration when our accomplishments or behaviors are less than
perfect. I feel that one of the great myths we would do well to dispel
is that we've come to earth to perfect ourselves, and nothing short of
that will do. If I understand the teachings of the prophets of this
dispensation correctly, we will not become perfect in this life,
though we can make significant strides toward that goal." — "On Being
Worthy" , Elder Marvin J. Ashton , General Conference, April 1989
(7/27/00)
"In this day of great achievement, there is more reason to believe in
God than at any other time in our memories. All our explorations, all
our scientific accomplishments, even our sending men to the moon,
declare the existence and power of God." — "Honesty, A Principle Of
Salvation", Elder Mark E. Petersen , General Conference, October 1971
(8/13/02)
"After all, what is success, and who are competent to judge? The great
masses who lived in the days of Jesus would have said that his life
was a stupendous failure, that his life and teachings ended in
inglorious defeat. Even his disciples were disappointed in his death;
and their efforts to perpetuate his name and teachings were covered
with ignominy and contempt. It was centuries before the success of his
life became apparent to the world. We can easily comprehend,
therefore, how it has taken centuries to accomplish achievements that
were set in motion by some obscure or despised personage. The triumph,
therefore, of Jesus would have been looked upon by his generation as
one of the paradoxes of history." — Joseph F. Smith, "Gospel
Doctrine," p. 124
(8/14/02)
"...Real success is not centered in wealth or position. Should one's
prime interest be focused there, the means then become the end. That
pattern is generally accompanied by an insatiable desire for more
things and more power. True success comes from fulfilling the
conditions of the Lord's plan of happiness, beginning, when possible,
by being a good mother or father and by forming a solid eternal
family. It includes serving honorably and in a trustworthy way. It
results in producing something of lasting benefit. In short, when your
actions are consistent with the teachings of the Lord, that is
success...." — Richard G. Scott, BYU Commencement Address, 10 August
2000
(8/15/02)
"Jesus gave an apt definition of success, I think, when he spoke of
Mary Magdalene, saying, 'She hath done what she could.' (Mark 14:8.)
True success is reaching the level of our best in our association with
our fellow men." — David O. McKay, "Gospel Ideals," p. 535
(8/16/02)
"The great criterion of success in the world is that men can make
money. But I want to say to you Latter-day Saints that to do this is
not true success. As a man grows and increases in the things of this
world, if he is not careful, he will lose the Spirit of the Lord, and
he will set his heart upon the things of this world. And if he loses
the Spirit of the Lord, and fails to be honest with God in the payment
of his tithes as strictly and honestly as he would account to a
partner if he were engaged in business, that man will lessen his
strength, will lessen his power, will lessen the testimony of the
Spirit of God within his soul. There is no question of it in my mind."
— Heber J. Grant, "Gospel Standards," p. 181
(8/17/02)
"Success is not like manna that falls every working day alike on the
worker and the shiftless, on the resourceful one and the careless one.
Success is reserved for those who work at it, those not afraid of the
midnight oil." — "Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball," p. 359
(8/18/02)
"In order to be successful in the eyes of the Lord, we have at least a
fourfold duty to perform. First: We must do our duty to our homes and
our families. I believe we are doing a fairly good job of that. At
least we are getting a lot of favorable publicity. Second: We have a
duty as Latter-day Saints to the Church to help spread the gospel, to
carry the message, to live the gospel, to keep the commandments, to be
an example to the world, to "arise and shine" (D&C 115:5). Third:
We have a responsibility to our occupation, our profession, our
employment, to provide for our own families. The scriptures tell us
that he who will not provide for his own is worse than an infidel (see
1 Timothy 5:8). Fourth: We have a citizenship responsibility. I
believe the person who is truly successful, in the eyes of the Lord,
must do his duty in all four areas." — Ezra Taft Benson, Salt Lake
Utah Emigration Stake Conference, 5 November 1978
(1/5/05)
"Certainly the most successful lives are those that have the most
worthwhile experiences. The religion of Christ itself is not so much a
set of ideas as it is a set of activities. The purpose of the Church
is to help us translate the principles of the gospel of Christ into
constructive, meaningful human experience. And everyone should work
toward this end by a daily practice of thinking some uplifting
thoughts, listening to some fine music, reading some stimulating
literature, doing some good deeds, and having some great experiences
every day." - Sterling W. Sill, "Great
Experiences," Ensign, June 1971, p. 43
(3/22/05)
"Greatness is measured by men in many ways. It is generally equated
with size, cost, quantity, and position. God, however, has a better
way, 'for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are [His] ways
higher than [man's] ways.' (Isa.
55:9.) In God's eyes, greatness is equated with light, truth,
goodness, and service. (See D&C
93:36; Matt.
23:11.)" - Carlos E. Asay, "One
Small
Step for a Man; One Giant Leap for Mankind," Ensign, May 1990,
p. 62
10/28/09
“It is necessary to prepare and to plan so that we don’t fritter
away our lives. Without a goal, there can be no real success. One of
the best definitions of success I have ever heard goes something
like this: Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal.
Someone has said the trouble with not having a goal is that you can
spend your life running up and down the field and never crossing the
goal line.” - Thomas S. Monson, “In Search
of Treasure,” Ensign (CR), May 2003, p. 19
2/13/10
“I have
learned much from the scriptures about success. It is wonderful to
read about the journey of Lehi and his family to the promised land.
Of Lehi’s older sons, Nephi and Sam, through their faithfulness to
the Lord, charted their course for true success. For them, being
successful meant being faithful in following the Lord’s
commandments. Through their example the lives of millions of people
have been blessed to this date. And because of their obedience, many
people have followed the path of truth and righteousness, striving
to be worthy of the Spirit of the Lord in their lives.” - Claudio
R. M. Costa, “Priceless Principles for Success,” Ensign (CR),
November 1994, p. 27
1/17/12
Our success in the journey of life
requires careful planning and execution, wise use of our resources, and
constant reliance on and dedication to eternal principles. - Elaine
L. Jack, “Never Take No Cutoffs,” BYU Devotional, 16 November 1993
9/3/12
True greatness
is never a result of a chance occurrence or a one-time effort or
achievement. It requires the development of character. It requires a
multitude of correct decisions for the everyday choices between good
and evil that Elder Boyd K. Packer spoke about when he said, “Over the
years these little choices will be bundled together and show clearly
what we value.” (Ensign,
Nov. 1980, p. 21.) Those choices will also show clearly what we
are. - Howard W. Hunter, "True
Greatness," Ensign (CR) May 1982
12/20/12
The gospel of Jesus Christ is the formula for success. Every principle
of the gospel, when lived, has a positive influence over your choice
of an occupation and on what you will achieve. The counsel to labor in
the Church has great value. Living the gospel will give you a
perspective and an inspiration that will see you successful however
ordinary your work may be or however ordinary your life may seem to
others. - Boyd K. Packer, "The
Gospel-The Foundation for Our Career," Ensign (CR), May 1982,
p.84
2/7/13
The
battle for our souls is no less important that the battle fought by
David. The enemy is no less formidable, the help of Almighty God no
farther away. What will our action be? Like David of old, “our cause
is just.” We have been placed upon earth not to fail or fall victim
to temptation’s snare, but rather to succeed. Our giant, our
Goliath, must be conquered. - Thomas
S. Monson, "Meeting
Your Goliath," New Era, June 2008
8/28/13
The Lord doesn’t seem to measure success in terms of attainment of
position or power or wealth. A prophet in the Book of Mormon (where,
by the way, the most succinct and unvarnished truths can be found)
said, “But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who
knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that
they might have joy.” (2
Ne. 2:24–25.) If man is that he might have joy, then success to
the Lord must include the attainment of real joy. On the basis of this
definition, then, no one is really successful who is not happy. - Hartman
Rector, Jr., "Success—A
Journey or a Destination?" Ensign (CR) May 1973
3/7/14
May I leave with you today a simple yet far-reaching formula to
guide you in the choices of life:
Fill your minds with truth.
Fill your hearts with love.
Fill your lives with service.
By doing so, may we one day hear the plaudit from our Lord and
Savior, “Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” - Thomas
S. Monson, “Choose
You This Day,” Ensign (CR) November 2004
10/26/15
We
fail only if we fail to take another faithful step forward. We will
not, we cannot, fail if we are faithfully yoked to the Savior—He who
has never failed and will never fail us! - Randall
K. Bennett, “Your
Next Step,” Ensign (CR) November 2015
2/19/16
In
this day of debauchery and crime when a man or woman or a boy or a
girl can sink to greater depths than ever before, we can be grateful
that even in the midst of these opposing forces, it is possible
through following the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, for
each of us to learn and to progress and to reach the greatest
heights in less time than ever before. - Elray
L. Christiansen, "Conference Report," October 1964, Afternoon
Meeting, p.130
6/19/16
In a short editorial written by President Joseph F. Smith in 1905,
he made this most profound statement about what true greatness
really is:
“Those things which we call extraordinary, remarkable, or unusual
may make history, but they do not make real life.
“After all, to do well those things which God ordained to be the
common lot of all mankind, is the truest greatness. To be a
successful father or a successful mother is greater than to be a
successful general or a successful statesman.” (Juvenile Instructor,
15 Dec. 1905, p. 752.) - Howard
W. Hunter, “True
Greatness,” Ensign (CR), May 1982, p.19