Mormon Wisdom: Inspirational Sayings from the Church of Latter-Day Saints

by Christopher Kimball Bigelow (Contribution by), Bennett Floyd (Contribution by), Jonathan Langford (Contribution by)

Overview

Mormonism has only been around for less than two hundred years, but it has a large following in the United States. While their practices may be slightly different from mainstream Christianity, their fundamental desire to live as close to the life of Christ and preach faith is the same. Mormon Wisdom is a collection of inspiration quotes from prominent leaders of the Church of Latter-day Saints, designed to enlighten, inspire, and motivate the reader.
Mormon Wisdom is a treasure for spiritual seekers or anyone who needs a bit of inspiration every now and then. Here are a few examples:

The earth is a living creature and breathes as much as you and I do.

God rarely moves the mountains in front of us but He always helps us climb them.

By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answers to our own.
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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781632206350
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	08/04/2015
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	4.70(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.30(d)

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

Heavenly Parents

Where do we come from? The answer to this question has been hotly debated by some of the world's greatest philosophers, scientists, and thinkers. Many religions, particularly Abrahamic faiths, teach that God is our father, a loving, all-powerful, and all-knowing being who created us and placed us on Earth for a specific purpose. These faiths generally share the understanding that life, for humans, begins at birth.

However, Mormonism claims a unique perspective among its religious peers. Like members of other churches, Latter-day Saints believe that God is the spiritual father of humankind. They commonly refer to him as "Heavenly Father," addressing him as such during prayer. Unlike other faiths, Mormon doctrine teaches that everyone — Mormon and non-Mormon alike — lived with Heavenly Father before earthly birth, a period of time commonly referred to by Mormons as "premortality" or "the premortal life."

In addition, Latter-day Saints are taught that God is not a single parent. We not only have a father in heaven, but also a mother. For cultural reasons, Mormons rarely mention Heavenly Mother, but the understanding that each of us has a divine parentage can profoundly shape our view of life and its purpose (see Divine Potential; Purpose of Life).

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted his plan by which his children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life.

— The Family: A Proclamation to the World (1995)

Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us.

— Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994)

All human beings — male and female — are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny.

— The Family: A Proclamation to the World (1995)

In the heav'ns are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare! Truth is reason; truth eternal Tells me I've a mother there.

When I leave this frail existence, When I lay this mortal by, Father, Mother, may I meet you In your royal courts on high?

— Eliza R. Snow (1804–1877)

All men and women are in the similitude of the universal Father and Mother and are literally the sons and daughters of Deity. ... Man, as a spirit, was begotten and born of heavenly parents, and reared to maturity in the eternal mansions of the Father, prior to coming upon the earth in a temporal body to undergo an experience in mortality. ... Man is the child of God, formed in the divine image and endowed with divine attributes.

— The Origin of Man (First Presidency statement, 1909)

I am a child of God, And he has sent me here, Has given me an earthly home With parents kind and dear.

— Naomi W. Randall (1908–2001)

God truly is our Father, the Father of the spirits of all mankind. We are his literal offspring and are formed in his image. We have inherited divine characteristics from him. Knowing our relationship to our Heavenly Father helps us understand the divine nature that is in us and our potential.

— Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917–2008)

It doesn't take from our worship of the Eternal Father, to adore our Eternal Mother, any more than it diminishes the love we bear our earthly fathers, to include our earthly mothers in our affections.

— Rudger Clawson (1857–1943)

There can be no God except he is composed of the man and woman united, and there is not in all the eternities that exist, or ever will be a God in any other way.

— Erastus Snow (1818–1888)

Sometimes we think the whole job is up to us, forgetful that there are loved ones beyond our sight who are thinking about us and our children. We forget that we have a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother who are even more concerned, probably, than our earthly father and mother, and that influences from beyond are constantly working to try to help us when we do all we can.

— Harold B. Lee (1899–1973)

In accordance with gospel philosophy there are males and females in heaven. Since we have a Father, who is our God, we must also have a mother, who possesses the attributes of godhood. This simply carries onward the logic of things earthly, and conforms with the doctrine that whatever is on this earth is simply a representation of great spiritual conditions of deeper meaning than we can here fathom.

— John A. Widtsoe (1872–1952)

CHAPTER 2

Divine Potential

One of the most distinctive Mormon teachings is that as literal sons and daughters of heavenly parents, humans have innate divine potential. Just as earthly parents want their children to grow up, become adults, and ultimately have families of their own, the ultimate purpose of creation, in the Mormon view, is for us to become like our heavenly parents (see Heavenly Parents).

This puts a unique perspective on many aspects of the gospel message. Obedience to God's commandments, for example, is seen not only as an act of reverence to God, but also as following precepts that God has established in order for us to become like him (see Obedience). Similarly, the life and mission of Jesus Christ take on added meaning as opening up a path that allows us as humans to cast off our sins and fulfill our divine nature.

* * *

Generally there is in man a divinity which strives to push him onward and upward. We believe that this power within him is the spirit that comes from God. Man lived before he came to this earth, and he is here now to strive to perfect the spirit within.

— David O. McKay (1873–1970)

If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves.

— Joseph Smith (1805–1844)

Even as the infant son of an earthly father and mother is capable in due time of becoming a man, so the undeveloped offspring of celestial parentage is capable, by experience through ages and aeons, of evolving into a God.

— The Origin of Man (First Presidency statement, 1909)

"To be or not to be?" That is not the question. What is the question? The question is not one of being, but of becoming. "To become more or not to become more." This is the question faced by each intelligence in our universe.

— Truman G. Madsen (1926– 2009)

The idea is not to do good because of the praise of men; but to do good because in doing good we develop godliness within us, and this being the case we shall become allied to godliness, which will in time become part and portion of our being.

— Lorenzo Snow (1814–1901)

An intelligent being, in the image of God, possesses every organ, attribute, sense, sympathy, affection, of will, wisdom, love, power and gift, which is possessed by God himself. But these are possessed by man, in his rudimental state, in a subordinate sense of the word. Or, in other words, these attributes are in embryo; and are to be gradually developed. They resemble a bud — a germ, which gradually develops into bloom, and then, by progress, produces the mature fruit, after its own kind.

— Parley P. Pratt (1807–1857)

Even the person you think the worst off — and in some cases that may be yourself — even that personality that it has been most difficult for you to forgive will be, in a century or two, in such a condition that if you saw him or her your first impulse would be to kneel in reverence. The truth is that the embryo within the worst of us is divine.

— Truman G. Madsen (1926–2009)

It is the first principle of the gospel to know for a certainty the character of God, and to know that we may converse with him as one man converses with another, and that he was once a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth.

— Joseph Smith (1805–1844)

As man now is, God once was; as God is now, man may be.

— Lorenzo Snow (1814–1901)

Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

— The Family: A Proclamation to the World (1995)

I am perfectly satisfied that my Father and my god is a cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured Being. Why? Because I am cheerful, pleasant, lively, and good-natured when I have his Spirit. ... That arises from the perfection of his attributes; he is a jovial, lively person, and a beautiful man.

— Heber C. Kimball (1801–1868)

We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love him. We will "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue. We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values, we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

— Young Women theme (2010)

God's very nature requires that he should have peers.

— Truman G. Madsen (1926–2009)

God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible — I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in form — like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with another.

— Joseph Smith (1805–1844)

At the end of this process, our Heavenly Parents will have sons and daughters who are their peers, their friends, and their colleagues.

— Chieko N. Okazaki (1926–2011)

CHAPTER 3

Creation

For members of the LDS Church, the Creation wasn't a magical event. God didn't "poof" humanity, the world, and the universe into existence. In fact, for Mormons the term creation is something of a misnomer. God's role in the Creation is not unlike that of an architect. With the help of his Son, Jesus Christ, God used his knowledge of natural laws and elements already in existence to design and organize our world and everything in it. Together, they created physical human bodies, into which they placed the spirits of Adam and Eve, who would become the primordial predecessors of all humankind (see Heavenly Parents; Divine Potential).

Whether this process of creation took six literal days, as the Bible suggests, or billions of years as scientists claim, LDS leaders offer no clear answers. The Church likewise has no official position on the theory of evolution. What Mormons agree on, however, is that no matter what the specifics, God, our all-knowing and all-powerful father, and his Son, Jesus Christ, organized and created our world — and countless others — for us to enjoy and appreciate and so that we might return to live with them (see Purpose of Life).

* * *

I was early taught ... to love that Being, who has made the earth so beautiful, and provided so much for his creatures dwelling thereon; thus I was early led to admire and reverence the Creator through his works.

— Hannah Last Cornaby (1822–1905)

Now, the word create ... does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos.

— Joseph Smith (1805–1844)

The earth, as a part of the creation of God, has fulfilled and will fulfill the measure of its creation. It has been baptized by water, it will be baptized by fire; it will be purified and become celestial, and be a fit place for celestial bodies to inhabit.

— John Taylor (1808–1887)

The fulness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

— Doctrine & Covenants 59:16–20

However infinite the variety of its changes, forms and shapes; ... eternity is inscribed in indelible characters on every particle.

— Parley P. Pratt (1807–1857)

God created all things. Nothing came by chance, but rather by his will and pleasure, his planning and knowledge, his power and love. The universe, in its infinite variety of life, testifies of his infinite intelligence, power, and majesty. And we, who want to know the meaning of it all, are reassured, not merely by the words, but by the whisperings of the Spirit that divine intelligence ordered all of it: by the power of his word, they were created.

— Keith Meservy (1924–2008)

The difference between God and the devil is that God creates and organizes, while the whole study of the devil is to destroy.

— Brigham Young (1801–1877)

Life existed long before our solar system was called into being. The fact is, there never was a time when man — made in the image of God, male and female — did not exist. ... The Lord has given us the information regarding his creations, and how he has made many earths, for there never was a beginning, never was a time when man did not exist somewhere in the universe, and when the time came for this earth to be peopled, the Lord, our God, transplanted upon it from some other earth, the life which is found here.

— Joseph Fielding Smith (1876–1972)

There is life in all matter, throughout the vast extent of all eternities; it is in the rock, the sand, the dust, in water, air, the gases, and, in short, in every description and organization of matter, whether it be solid, liquid, or gaseous, particle operating with particle.

— Brigham Young (1801–1877)

Nature is the glass reflecting God, as by the sea reflected is the sun, too glorious to be gazed on in his sphere.

— Brigham Young (1801–1877)

The spirit of man is not a created being; it existed from eternity, and will exist to eternity.

— Joseph Smith (1805–1844)

There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; we cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter.

— Doctrine & Covenants 131:7–8

Any theory that leaves out God as a personal, purposeful Being, and accepts chance as a first cause, cannot be accepted. ... That man and the whole of creation came by chance is unthinkable. It is equally unthinkable that if man came into being by the will and power of God, the divine creative power is limited to one process dimly sensed by mortal man.

— John A. Widtsoe (1872–1952)

CHAPTER 4

What is the meaning of life? Does life have meaning? Latter-day Saints are not the first to tackle these questions, but they offer answers somewhat different from those commonly provided by other Christian religions.

According to Mormon doctrine, life is merely a step toward our goal of becoming like our heavenly parents, a brief moment in our eternal progression. It's designed to be a test, a trial of whether or not we will exercise our faith and free will (see Choices & Freedom) to follow God's commandments and prove worthy to return to him after death through our obedience (see Obedience). In addition, Mormons believe that this test is one that we all freely chose to undergo in the premortal world (see Heavenly Parents; Divine Potential).

For Mormons, this test isn't necessarily meant to be easy. Each of us must pass through significant challenges and adversity (see Trials). With this adversity also comes the blessing of a clearer sense of purpose and a hope that, although life may be hard, it can nonetheless be enjoyed, knowing that bumps or bruises gained along the way will be worth it.

* * *

This life is not given to us as a pastime. There was a solemn purpose in our creation, in the life that God has given to us. Let us study what that purpose is, that we may progress and obtain eternal life.

— George Albert Smith (1870–1951)

I believe that every person who is called to do an important work in the kingdom of God was called to that work or was foreordained to that work before this world was.

(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "Mormon Wisdom"
by .
Copyright © 2015 Skyhorse Publishing.
Excerpted by permission of Skyhorse Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Table of Contents

Introduction,
Heavenly Parents,
Divine Potential,
Creation,
Purpose of Life,
Trials,
Repentance & Forgiveness,
Faith & Spirituality,
Knowledge & Education,
Home & Family,
Recreation,
Marriage,
Parenting,
Choices & Freedom,
Priorities,
War & Peace,
Persistence & Improvement,
Prayer,
Obedience,
Health,
Leadership,
Work,
Self-Reliance,
Kindness & Acceptance,
Service & Charity,
Hope & Optimism,
Happiness,
Biographies,