Quotes by Religious Leaders - Page 6

Life was never intended to consist of a glut of luxury, be an easy course, or filled only with success. There are those games which we lose, those races in which we finish last, and those promotions which never come. Such experiences provide an opportunity for us to show our determination and to rise above disappointment.
Thomas S. Monson
Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf
Riches without faith are the greatest poverty.
Hazrat Ali R.A
Nevertheless, I sought counsel from my leaders and obeyed, even when I knew their advice would make my life more complicated. I decided it was not for me to question and that if some advice caused temporary pain for me, it must be something I should experience.
Gordon B. Hinckley
What we insistently desire, over time, is what we become.
Neal A Maxwell
Our Heavenly Father did not put us on earth to fail but to succeed gloriously.
Richard G. Scott
If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that He has great designs for you, and that He certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat Him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for His own great sacrifice of boundless charity.
Ignatius of Loyola
Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit. The laborer cuts up the earth with his plough, and from that earth comes the rich and plentiful harvest. The more a man is chastened, the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown forth by him.
Abdu'l-Bahá
All who believe and obey the glorious gospel of God, all who are true and faithful and overcome the world, all who suffer for Christ and his word, all who are chastened and scourged in the Cause of him whose we are—all shall become as their Maker and sit with him on his throne and reign with him forever in everlasting glory.
Bruce R. McConkie
But how does the Atonement motivate, invite, and draw all men unto the Savior? What causes this gravitational pull-- this spiritual tug? There is a certain compelling power that flows from righteous suffering-- not indiscriminate suffering, not needless suffering, but righteous, voluntary suffering for another. Such suffering for another is the highest and purest form of motivation we can offer to those we love. Contemplate that for a moment: How does one change the attitude or the course of conduct of a loved one whose every step seems bent on destruction? If example fails to influence, words of kindness go unheeded, and the powers of logic are dismissed as chaff before the wind, then where does one turn...In the words of the missionary evangelist, E. Stanley Jones, suffering has "an intesnse moral appeal." Jones once asked Mahatma Gandhi as he sat on a cot in an open courtyard of Yervavda jail, "'Isn't your fasting a species of coercion?' 'Yes,' he said very slowly, 'the same kind of coercion which Jesus exercises upon you from the cross.'" As Jones reflected upon that sobering rejoinder, he said: "I was silent. It was so obviously true that I am silent again every time I think of it. He was prfoundly right. The years have clarified it. And I now see it for what it is: a very morally potent and redenptive power if used rightly. But it has to be used rightly.
Tad R. Callister
Each one of us is the architect of his own fate; and he is unfortunate indeed who will try to build himself without the inspiration of God, without realizing that he grows from within, not from without.
David O. McKay
Why should we worry about what others think of us, do we have more confidence in their opinions than we do our own?
Brigham Young
We will go on producing myths, ways of explaining ourselves to ourselves but, like everything else about us, they are in constant transition and we must not fundamentalise any of them.
Richard Holloway
The real battle for Christians today is not Armageddon, it is the battle for a sensible approach to that ancient library of books we call the Bible. The Bible was written by human beings, with all the longings, prejudices and illusions that characterise us as a species. It is not an apocalyptic almanac, a mystical code book, an inerrant textbook for living. It is a compendium of a particular people's struggle with meaning; so it should encourage us to do the same in our day.
Richard Holloway
Our thinking will automatically improve when we remember the words of Paul: 'know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and the spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Thomas S. Monson
Repeatedly I have been impressed to learn that to reach a goal never before attained, one must do things never before done.
Richard G. Scott
The greatest battles of life are fought out daily in the silent chambers of the soul.
David O. McKay
A truly educated man never ceases to learn. He never ceases to grow. I hope you women, as you take upon yourselves the burden of rearing families, will never set aside the desire to acquire knowledge.
Gordon B. Hinckley
If you are there for the Lord, He will be there for you. If you love Him and keep His commandments, you will have His Spirit to be with you and guide you.
Robert D. Hales
Thoughts, like water, will stay on course if we make a place for them to go. As you learn to control your thoughts, you can gain courage, conquer fear and have a happy life.
Boyd K. Packer
Home is the dearest spot on earth, and it should be the centre, though not the boundary, of the affections.
Mary Baker Eddy
Wouldn’t this old world be better If the folks we meet would say: ‘I know something good about you,’ And then treat us that way?
N. Eldon Tanner
When we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. When we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be.
Thomas S. Monson
The best way we can honor the pioneers—the best way for us to repay our debt of gratitude to them—goes beyond making and hearing speeches, marching in parades, or attending fireworks celebrations. “The best way we can show our gratitude is by incorporating into our own lives the faithfulness to God’s commandments, the compassion and love for our fellowmen, the industry, optimism, and joy the pioneers demonstrated so well in their own lives.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
If our church is not marked by caring for the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, we are guilty of heresy.
Ignatius of Loyola
The most treasured and sacred moments of our lives are those filled with the spirit of love. The greater the measure of our love, the greater is our joy. In the end, the development of such love is the true measure of success in life.
Joseph B. Wirthlin
Teach me your way of looking at people:as you glanced at Peter after his denial,as you penetrated the heart of the rich young manand the hearts of your disciples.I would like to meet you as you really are,since your image changes those with whom you come into contact.Remember John the Baptist’s first meeting with you?And the centurion’s feeling of unworthiness?And the amazement of all those who saw miracles and other wonders?How you impressed your disciples,the rabble in the Garden of Olives,Pilate and his wifeand the centurion at the foot of the cross. . . .I would like to hear and be impressedby your manner of speaking,listening, for example, to your discourse in the synagogue in Capharnaumor the Sermon on the Mount where your audience felt you “taught as one who has authority.
Pedro Arrupe
Elder Neal A. Maxwell suggests that the prime reason the Savior personally acts as the gatekeeper of the celestial kingdom is not to exclude people, but to personally welcome and embrace those who have made it back home.
Tad R. Callister
In the joy of others, lies our own.
Pramukh Swami Maharaj
A man's worth depends upon the nobility of his aspirations.
Hazrat Ali
Change comes by substituting good habits for less desirable ones. You mold your character and future by good thoughts and acts.
Spencer W. Kimball
If not you, then who? If not now, when?
Hillel first- century Jewish scholar
Developing spiritual strength doesn’t come from leaning back; it comes from pressing forward, constantly seeking more light and knowledge from heaven.” In my undergraduate days, I memorized this saying: ‘On the plains of hesitation are bleached the bones of countless thousands who, at the Dawn of Victory, stopped to rest, and resting, died.’ We cannot rest. Learn, lead, build, press forward.
Elder Neil L. Andersen
In the joy of others lies our own,In the progress of others rests our own,In the good of others abides our own,Know this to be the key to peace and happiness
Pramukh Swami Maharaj
You should always have 2 books...the one you're reading and the one you're writing.
Sterling W. Sill
Do not force your children to behave like you, for surely they have been created for a time which is different to your time
Ali ibn-e-Abu Talib
The days of life pass away like clouds, so do good while you are alive.
Hazrat Ali ibn Abu-Talib
If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill.
Henry B. Eyring
There should be painless progression, attended by life and peace....Mortals will some day assert their freedom in the name of Almighty God....Dropping their present beliefs, they will recognize harmony and as the spiritual reality and discord as the material unreality. Chapter VII pp. 224 and 228 Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Mary Baker Eddy
Happiness is spiritual, born of truth and love.
Mary Baker Eddy
Forgiveness is local.
Matthew C. Harrison
To forgive is the vocation of all Christians.
Matthew C. Harrison
Forgiveness comes more readily when, we have faith in God and trust in His word. Such faith “enables people to withstand the worst of humanity. It also enables people to look beyond themselves. More importantly, it enables them to forgive.
James E. Faust
When tragedy strikes, we should not respond by seeking personal revenge but rather let justice take its course and then let go. It is not easy to let go and empty our hearts of festering resentment. The Savior has offered to all of us a precious peace through His Atonement, but this can come only as we are willing to cast out negative feelings of anger, spite, or revenge. For all of us who forgive “those who trespass against us,” even those who have committed serious crimes, the Atonement brings a measure of peace and comfort.
James E. Faust
Let us remember that we need to forgive to be forgiven.
James E. Faust
Dipping into the pitcher of the past, his father often said, can only sour the cup of the present.
Gerald N. Lund
There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, and murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous.
Ezra Taft Benson
Most of us need time to work through pain and loss. We can find all manner of reasons for postponing forgiveness. One of these reasons is waiting for the wrongdoers to repent before we forgive them. Yet such a delay causes us to forfeit the peace and happiness that could be ours. The folly of rehashing long-past hurts does not bring happiness.
James E. Faust
Some hold grudges for a lifetime, unaware that courageously forgiving those who have wronged us is wholesome and therapeutic.
James E. Faust
Man cannot measure the bounds nor fathom the depths of divine forgiveness...
James E. Talmage
Human beings do terrible things to each other and the tragic thing about it all is the way the remembrance of past hurt can rob us of our future and become the narrative of our lives.
Richard Holloway
Sir Thomas More was a victim of injustice and irony. Generously and meekly, just as he was about to be martyred, he said: Paul . . . was present, and consented to the death of St. Stephen, and kept their clothes that stoned him to death, and yet be they [Stephen and Paul] now both twain Holy Saints in heaven, and shall continue there friends for ever, so I verily trust and . . . pray, that though your lordships have now here in earth been judges to my condemnation, we may yet hereafter in heaven merrily all meet together, to our everlasting salvation.
Neal A Maxwell
Sometimes we carry unhappy feelings about past hurts too long. We spend too much energy dwelling on things that have passed and cannot be changed. We struggle to close the door and let go of the hurt. If, after time, we can forgive whatever may have caused the hurt, we will tap 'into a life-giving source of comfort' through the Atonement, and the 'sweet peace' of forgiveness will be ours ("My Journey to Forgiving," Ensign, Feb. 1997. 43). Some injuries are so hurtful and deep that healing comes only with help from a higher power and hope for perfect justice and restitution in the next life. . . . You can tap into that higher power and receive precious comfort and sweet peace.
James E. Faust
The willingness to forgive is a sign of spiritual and emotional maturity. It is one of the great virtues to which we all should aspire. Imagine a world filled with individuals willing both to apologize and to accept an apology. Is there any problem that could not be solved among people who possessed the humility and largeness of spirit and soul to do either -- or both -- when needed?
Gordon B. Hinckley
Believe in the sacred word of God, the Holy Bible, with its treasury of inspiration and sacred truth; in the Book of Mormon as a testimony of the living Christ. Believe in the Church as the organization which the God of Heaven established for the blessing of His sons and daughters of all generations of time.
Gordon B. Hinckley
No matter the circumstances, I encourage you to go forward with faith and prayer, calling on the Lord. You may not receive any direct revelation. But you will discover, as the years pass, that there has been a subtle guiding of your footsteps in paths of progress and great purpose.
Gordon B. Hinckley
But there is a beauty every girl has—agift from God, as pure as the sunlight,and as sacred as life. It is a beauty that all men love, a virtue that wins all men's souls. That beauty is chastity. Chastity without skin beauty may enkindle the soul; skin beauty without chastity can kindle only the eye. Chastity enshrined in the mold of true womanhood will hold true loveeternally.
David O. McKay
This Christmas mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust. Write a letter. Give a soft answer. Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed. Keep a promise. Forgo a grudge. Forgive an enemy. Apologize. Try to understand. Examine your demands on others. Think first of someone else. Be kind. Be gentle. Laugh a little more. Express your gratitude. Welcome a stranger. Gladden the heart of a child. Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth. Speak your love, and then speak it again.
Howard W. Hunter
I cannot say enough of appreciation for your determination to live by the standards of the Church, to walk with the strength of virtue, to keep your minds above the slough of filth which seems to be moving like a flood across the world. Thank you for knowing there is a better way. Thank you for the will to say no. Thank you for the strength to deny temptation and look beyond and above to the shining light of your eternal potential.
Gordon B. Hinckley
If you want to give a light to others, you have to glow yourself.
Thomas S. Monson