Integrity
We see those who seemingly get ahead in life as a result of deceit, through false promises or by cheating others. In the glow of unearned good repute, people are apt to fall prey to self-delusion and think that they can get away with anything. Others who want too badly for all men to speak well of them come to care more about outside opinions than their own actions.
Being true to oneself is anything but easy if the moral standards of one's associates conflict with his or her own. The herd instinct is strong in the human animal, and the phrase "Everbody else is doing it" has an insidious attraction. To resist what "everbody else" is doing is to risk being ostracized by one's peers, and it's normal to dread rejection. Nothing takes more strength than swimming against the current. — "Three Bridges to Cross," Dixie State College Commencement, May 6, 2011
Mothers
As we journey along the pathway of life, may we pause to remember Mother — our own mothers, and the mothers of all men everywhere. God, our Father, remembers mothers. We, His children, can do no less. — "Honor Thy Mother," Mother's Day Pamphlet, 1981
Repentance
There are those who feel that their own neglect, their bad habits, their shunning of the righteous life have caused God to abandon them, that He will no longer hear their pleadings, nor see their plight, nor feel compassion towards them. Such feelings are not compatible with the word of the Lord. …
Should there be anyone who feels he is too weak to change the onward and downward moving course of his life, or should there be those who fail to resolve to do better because of that greatest of fears, the fear of failure, there is no more comforting assurance to be had than the words of the Lord: "My grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them" (Ether 12:27). — "The Precious Gift of Sight," Conference Report, April 1965, pp. 47-48
The perfect teacher
We are all teachers. We should ever remember that we not only teach with words; we teach also by who we are and how we live our lives. As we teach others, may we follow the example of the perfect teacher, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He left His footprints in the sands of the seashore, but left His teaching principles in the hearts and in the lives of all whom He taught. He instructed His disciples of that day, and to us He speaks the same words, "Follow thou me." May we go forward in the spirit of obedient response, that it may be said of each of us as it was spoken of the Redeemer, "Thou art a teacher come from God." — Worldwide Priesthood Leadership Satellite Broadcast, Feb. 10, 2007
Patriarchal blessing
The prophet Alma explained that this "Liahona," as it was called, was a compass prepared by the Lord. It worked for Lehi and his followers according to their faith and pointed the way they should go.
The same Lord who provided a Liahona for Lehi provides for you and for me today a rare and valuable gift to give direction to our lives, to mark the hazards to our safety, and to chart the way, even a safe passage — not to a promised land, but to our heavenly home. The gift to which I refer is known as a patriarchal blessing. Every worthy member of the Church is entitled to receive such a precious and priceless personal treasure. — "Preparation Precedes Performance," Priesthood Commemoration Satellite Broadcast, May 2, 1993
Making use of time
Success is contingent upon our effective use of the time given us. When we cease peering backwards into the mists of our past, and craning forward into the fog that shrouds the future, and concentrate upon doing what lies clearly at hand, then we are making the best and happiest use of our time. — "Timeless Truths for a Changing World," BYU Women's Conference, May 4, 2001
