Mormon Musings

We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread.  They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the  last of human freedoms– to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way. Viktor Frankl-- Man’s Search For Meaning , 104

We are in a great school; and it is a profitable one, in which we are receiving very important lessons from day to day. We are taught to cultivate our minds, to control our thoughts, to thoroughly bring our whole being into subjection to the Spirit and law of God, that we may learn to be one and act as the heart of one man, that we may carry out the purposes of God upon the earth. Yes, we are taught many principles which tend to our exaltation and glory, which could not be made manifest unto us only as they are revealed unto us by the inspiration of the Almighty, through the mouth of his servants the Prophets. President Wilford Woodruff, Journal of Discourses  6:115

I am … afraid that this people have so much confidence in their leaders that they will not inquire for themselves of God whether they are led by him. I am fearful they settle down in a state of blind self-security. … Let every man and woman know, by the whispering of the Spirit of God to themselves, whether their leaders are walking in the path the Lord dictates. Brigham Young Discourses of Brigham Young,  sel. John A. Widtsoe (1941), 135.

The spirit speaks through the voice of the conscience. President David O. McKay 

“President Marion G. Romney (1897–1988), First Counselor in the First Presidency, gave us encouragement: ‘You can make every decision in your life correctly if you can learn to follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This you can do if you will discipline yourself to yield your own feelings to the promptings of the Spirit. Study your problems and prayerfully make a decision. Then take that decision and say to him, in a simple, honest supplication, ‘Father, I want to make the right decision. I want to do the right thing. This is what I think I should do; let me know if it is the right course.’ Doing this, you can get the burning in your bosom, if your decision is right. … When you learn to walk by the Spirit, you never need to make a mistake.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf -in Conference Report, Oct. 1961, 60–61; quoted in “On the Wings of Eagles,”  Ensign , July 2006, 15

“Great power can come from memorizing scriptures.  To memorize a scripture is to forge a new friendship.  It is like discovering a new individual who can help in time of need, give inspiration and comfort, and be a source of motivation for needed change.” Elder Richard G. Scott -”The Power of Scripture,”  Oct. 2011 Gen. Conf.

“Testimony–real testimony, born of the Spirit and confirmed by the Holy Ghost–changes lives.” Elder Russell M. Ballard -”Pure Testimony,”  Ensign,  Nov. 2004, 40