Education

“Equally worrisome is the ever-growing gap between the rich and poor and between those who strive to preserve family values and commitments and those who have given up on doing so. Statistically, those who have less education and consequently lower incomes are less likely to marry and to go to church and much more likely to be involved in crime and to have children outside of marriage.” That the Lost May Be Found By Elder M. Russell Ballard , April 2012.

“For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment.” Two Principles for Any Economy Dieter F. Uchtdorf , October 2009

“As a people, we rightfully place high priority on secular learning and vocational development. We want and we must excel in scholarship and craftsmanship. I commend you for striving diligently to gain an education and become an expert in your field. I invite you to also become experts in the doctrines of the gospel” Your Potential, Your Privilege Dieter F. Uchtdorf  April 2011

“Education is the key that will unlock the door of opportunity.” Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts Unceasingly Gordon B. Hinckley, April 2007

“And even though you marry, education will be of great benefit to you. Don’t just drift along, letting the days come and go without improvement in your lives. The Lord will bless you as you make the effort. Your lives will be enriched and your outlook broadened as your minds are opened to new vistas and knowledge.” Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts Unceasingly Gordon B. Hinckley, April 2007

“…parents are entrusted with the education of their children and, ultimately, parents must ensure that their children are being taught what their Heavenly Father would have them learn.” Mothers Teaching Children in the Home L. Tom Perry, April 2010

“You face great challenges that lie ahead. You are moving into a world of fierce competition. You must get all of the education you can. The Lord has instructed us concerning the importance of education. It will qualify you for greater opportunities. It will equip you to do something worthwhile in the great world of opportunity that lies ahead.” Converts and Young Men Gordon B. Hinckley, April 1997

“While the formal classroom may be intimidating at times, some of the most effective teaching takes place other than in the chapel or the classroom.” To Learn, to Do, to Be President Thomas S. Monson, October 2008

“A mother’s education level has a profound influence on the educational choices of her [children].” … Educated women “tend to: Give birth to healthier babies, have children who are healthier, be more confident, resilient and have improved reasoning and judgment.” Mary N. Cook General Conference Is for You . May 2012

“Beyond our study of spiritual matters, secular learning is also essential. Often the future is unknown; therefore, it behooves us to prepare for uncertainties. Statistics reveal that at some time, because of the illness or death of a husband or because of economic necessity, you may find yourself in the role of financial provider. Some of you already occupy that role. I urge you to pursue your education—if you are not already doing so or have not done so—that you might be prepared to provide if circumstances necessitate such” Three Goals to Guide You Thomas S. Monson, October 2007

Pornography

“Pornography is especially dangerous and addictive. Curious exploration of pornography can become a controlling habit, leading to coarser material and to sexual transgression. Avoid pornography at all costs.”  Preparation Brings Blessings Thomas S. Monson, April 2010

“My beloved friends, under no circumstances allow yourselves to become trapped in the viewing of pornography, one of the most effective of Satan’s enticements. And if you have allowed yourself to become involved in this behavior, cease now. Seek the help you need to overcome and to change the direction of your life. Take the steps necessary to get back on the straight and narrow, and then stay there.” Until We Meet Again President Thomas S. Monson , April 2009

“Stay completely away from pornography. Do not allow yourself to view it, ever. It has proven to be an addiction which is more than difficult to overcome.” Priesthood Power Thomas S. Monson , April 2011

“It is ridiculous to imply that pornography has no effect. There is a definite relationship to crime. Murder, robbery, rape, prostitution, and commercialized vice are fed on this immorality. Sex statistics seem to reflect a relationship between crime and pornography.” God Will Not Be Mocked Spencer W. Kimball, October 1974

“Satan has become a master at using the addictive power of pornography to limit individual capacity to be led by the Spirit. The onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms has caused great grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages.” To Acquire Spiritual Guidance Richard G. Scott, October 2007

“Participation in pornography in any of its lurid forms is a manifestation of unbridled selfishness.” To Acquire Spiritual Guidance Richard G. Scott, October 2007

“Pornography will always repel the Spirit of Christ and will interrupt the communications between our Heavenly Father and His children and disrupt the tender relationship between husband and wife.” Cleansing the Inner Vessel Boyd K. Packer , October 2010

“We abhor pornography that seems to be flooding the land. Legislation makes an effort to curb it, but the best way to stop it is to have men and women, with their families, build barriers against it. We ask you, “Do you good people of your community want this ugly vice to corrupt your families and your neighbors?” “Why Call Me Lord, Lord, and Do Not the Things Which I Say?” Spencer W. Kimball, April 1975

“Pornography destroys character and makes its user sink in the quicksand of filth, out of which the person can escape only with much help.” Avoiding the Trap of Sin Jairo Mazzagardi, October 2010

“In our day the dreadful influence of pornography is like unto a plague sweeping across the world, infecting one here and one there, relentlessly trying to invade every home, most frequently through the husband and father. The effect of this plague can be, unfortunately often is, spiritually fatal.” Cleansing the Inner Vessel Boyd K. Packer , October 2010

Agency

“My beloved young sisters, you have the precious gift of agency. I plead with you to choose to obey.” Believe, Obey, and Endure By President Thomas S. Monson, April 2012

“We have also been given the gift of agency. In a thousand ways we are privileged to choose for ourselves. Here we learn from the hard taskmaster of experience. We discern between good and evil. We differentiate as to the bitter and the sweet. We discover that there are consequences attached to our actions.” The Race of Life By President Thomas S. Monson ,  April 2012

“We know that we had our agency before this world was and that Lucifer attempted to take it from us. He had no confidence in the principle of agency or in us and argued for imposed salvation. He insisted that with his plan none would be lost, but he seemed not to recognize—or perhaps not to care—that in addition, none would be any wiser, any stronger, any more compassionate, or any more grateful if his plan were followed.” The Three Rs of Choice Thomas S. Monson , October 2012

“with the right of choice comes the responsibility to choose. We cannot be neutral; there is no middle ground.” The Three Rs of Choice Thomas S. Monson , October 2012

“The essential doctrine of agency requires that a testimony of the restored gospel be based on faith rather than just external or scientific proof.” In Tune with the Music of Faith By Elder Quentin L. Cook , April 2012

“That which is sacred to God becomes sacred to us only through the exercise of agency; each must choose to accept and hold sacred that which God has defined as sacred. He sends light and knowledge from heaven. He invites us to receive and treat it as sacred.” To Hold Sacred By Elder Paul B. Pieper , April 2012

“Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions.” Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life Robert D. Hales, October 2010

“when we choose to do the will of our Heavenly Father, our agency is preserved, our opportunities increase, and we progress.” Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life Robert D. Hales, October 2010

“…our righteous exercise of agency always makes a difference in the opportunities we have and our ability to act upon them and progress eternally.” Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life Robert D. Hales, October 2010

“Some challenges result from the agency of others. Agency is essential for individual spiritual growth and development. Evil conduct is an element of agency.” The Songs They Could Not Sing Quentin L. Cook , October 2011

Atonement

“Lay your burden at the Savior’s feet. Let go of judgment. Allow Christ’s Atonement to change and heal your heart. Love one another. Forgive one another.” The Merciful Obtain Mercy By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf , April 2012

“We all depend on the Savior; none of us can be saved without Him. Christ’s Atonement is infinite and eternal. Forgiveness for our sins comes with conditions. We must repent, and we must be willing to forgive others.” The Merciful Obtain Mercy By President Dieter F. Uchtdorf , April 2012

“Central to God’s eternal plan is the mission of His Son, Jesus Christ. He came to redeem God’s children. Because of the Lord’s Atonement, resurrection (or immortality) became a reality. Because of the Atonement, eternal life became a possibility for all who would qualify.” Thanks Be to God By Elder Russell M. Nelson,  April 2012

“(Christ) wanted us to know that none of us will ever be so lost that we cannot find our way again through His Atonement and His teachings.” That the Lost May Be Found By Elder M. Russell Ballard, April 2012

“When its conditions are fully met, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, our Savior, provides a release from the demands of justice for the errors made. It is wondrously simple and so incomparably beautiful. As you continue to live righteously, you will always be prompted to know what to do. Sometimes the discovery of what action to take may require significant effort and trust on your part. Yet you will be prompted to know what to do as you meet the conditions for such divine guidance in your life, namely, obedience to the commandments of the Lord, trust in His divine plan of happiness, and the avoidance of anything that is contrary to it.”How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life By Elder Richard G. Scott , April 212

“This society is composed of women whose feelings of charity spring from hearts changed by qualifying for and by keeping covenants offered only in the Lord’s true Church. Their feelings of charity come from Him through His Atonement.” The Enduring Legacy of Relief Society Henry B. Eyring , October 2009

“Heavenly Father has given a simple pattern for us to receive the Holy Ghost not once but continually in the tumult of our daily lives. The pattern is repeated in the sacramental prayer: We promise that we will always remember the Savior. We promise to take His name upon us. We promise to keep His commandments. And we are promised that if we do that, we will have His Spirit to be with us. Those promises work together in a wonderful way to strengthen our testimonies and in time, through the Atonement, to change our natures as we keep our part of the promise.” O Remember, Remember Henry B. Eyring , October 2007

“It is the Holy Ghost who testifies that Jesus Christ is the Beloved Son of a Heavenly Father who loves us and wants us to have eternal life with Him in families. With even the beginning of that testimony, we feel a desire to serve Him and to keep His commandments. When we persist in doing that, we receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost to give us power in our service. We come to see the hand of God more clearly, so clearly that in time we not only remember Him, but we come to love Him and, through the power of the Atonement, become more like Him.” O Remember, Remember Henry B. Eyring , October 2007

“What will become more obvious to us is that the Atonement brings the same changes in all of us. We become disciples who are meek, loving, easy to be entreated, and at the same time fearless and faithful in all things.” Our Hearts Knit as One President Henry B. Eyring , October 2012

“Hope is a gift of the Spirit. It is a hope that through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the power of His Resurrection, we shall be raised unto life eternal and this because of our faith in the Savior.  This kind of hope is both a principle of promise as well as a commandment, and, as with all commandments, we have the responsibility to make it an active part of our lives and overcome the temptation to lose hope. Hope in our Heavenly Father’s merciful plan of happiness leads to peace, mercy, rejoicing, and gladness. The hope of salvation is like a protective helmet; it is the foundation of our faith and an anchor to our souls.” The Infinite Power of Hope President Dieter F. Uchtdorf , October 2012

Family

“There is nothing that has come or will come into your family as important as the sealing blessings. There is nothing more important than honoring the marriage and family covenants you have made or will make in the temples of God.” - Families under Covenant By President Henry B. Eyring, April 2012

“Marriage and family are ordained of God. The family is the most important social unit in time and in eternity. Under God’s great plan of happiness, families can be sealed in temples and be prepared to return to dwell in His holy presence forever. That is eternal life! It fulfills the deepest longings of the human soul—the natural yearning for endless association with beloved members of one’s family”.- Thanks Be to God By Elder Russell M. Nelson, April 2012

“Perhaps the most familiar and most important examples of unselfish service and sacrifice are performed in our families. Mothers devote themselves to the bearing and nurturing of their children. Husbands give themselves to supporting their wives and children. The sacrifices involved in the eternally important service to our families are too numerous to mention and too familiar to need mention.”  Sacrifice By Elder Dallin H. Oaks, April 2012

“Fathers and mothers, next time you cradle a newborn child in your arms, you can have an inner vision of the mysteries and purposes of life. You will better understand why the Church is as it is and why the family is the basic organization in time and in eternity. I bear witness that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that the plan of redemption, which has been called the plan of happiness, is a plan for families. I pray the Lord that the families of the Church will be blessed, parents and children, that this work will roll forth as the Father intends. I bear this witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.“ Lead Them By President Boyd K. Packer, April 2012

“Family time is sacred time and should be protected and respected. We urge our members to show devotion to their families.” Lead Them By President Boyd K. Packer, April 2012

“be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, your education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-nots, these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him. If you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss some of life’s sweetest experiences.”- Forget Me Not Dieter F. Uchtdorf, October 2011

“The family is ordained of God. Families are central to our Heavenly Father’s plan here on earth and through the eternities”- Children Neil L. Andersen, October 2011

“Families are central to God’s eternal plan. I testify of the great blessing of children and of the happiness they will bring us in this life and in the eternities, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.”- Children Neil L. Andersen, October 2011

“The gospel plan is the great plan of happiness. The family is the center of that plan. The family depends on the worthy use of those life-giving powers that are in your body.” Counsel to Youth Boyd K. Packer, October 2011

“All of the proceedings of this conference will appear in a subsequent issue of the Ensign and Liahona. We encourage you again to read the talks in your family home evenings and discuss them together as families. They are the products of much prayer and meditation and are well worthy of careful consideration.” Closing Remarks Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2007