God wants us to serve willingly and obediently.

The ideal course of life is not always easy.

Some feel as though the world is their oyster; others feel as though they were the oyster itself, plucked from the ocean, cracked open, and robbed of all that is precious to them.

All too often, lotteries only add to the problem of the financially disadvantaged by taking money from them and giving nothing of value in return.

Mortal experiences give us the opportunity to assess what we are doing with our lives.

Not even death can take us from the eternal blessings promised by a loving Heavenly Father.

In my early teens, I was a janitor. In high school, I got up early to deliver to accounts that required early service.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper and advocate.

God's commandments are not given to limit or punish us.

We will all rise from the grave.

Some of the happiest people I know have none of the things the world insists are necessary for satisfaction and joy.

Some carry the burden of bitterness and resentfulness for many years.

Some pass their days as though suffering a deep sadness they cannot name. Others are unhappy because life didn't turn out the way they thought it would.

A computer can be a useful and indispensable tool. But if we allow it to devour our time with vain, unproductive, and sometimes destructive pursuits, it becomes an entangling net.

We can easily get our lives out of balance.

There is something about prosperity that brings out the worst in some people.

Prosperity often leads to pride, which leads to sin.

Having received the Spirit of Christ to know good from evil, we should always choose the good.

Integrity, a firm adherence to the highest moral and ethical standards, is essential to the life of a true Latter-day Saint.

Financial problems cause distress and loss of self-respect.

The Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit: a separate and distinct member of the Godhead.

Through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord has established His Church once again among men.

Fast offerings are used for one purpose only: to bless the lives of those in need.

The Lord, Jesus Christ, is our perfect example of patience.

When the Savior Himself was born, there were troubled times.

The Prophet Joseph Smith lived in troubled times.

I have had the opportunity to become acquainted with many wonderful people from many walks of life. I have known rich and poor, famous and modest, wise and otherwise.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a religion of mourning and gloom.

Too many sit at the banquet table of the gospel of Jesus Christ and merely nibble at the feast placed before them. They go through the motions - attending their meetings perhaps, glancing at scriptures, repeating familiar prayers - but their hearts are far away.

My beloved Elisa, my companion and wife, whom I love and revere, is one of the most noble of our Heavenly Father's handmaidens.

I loved my mission in Switzerland and Germany. As I left on the train from Basel, Switzerland, tears flowed down my cheeks because I knew then that my full-time service in the Church had ended.

I love the German and the Swiss people for their many fine traits of character. I love their language that is so exacting and yet so expressive.

Bookstore operators tell us that the books which head the bestseller list are books on peace and happiness.

The spiritual self of each of us is that part of us that will never grow old, or ill, or die, but it must be nurtured and invigorated!

My own great-grandfather suffered so much from asthma that he had to walk a mile or two behind the covered wagons crossing the plains to avoid the dust. However, he always arrived at his destination and did his share of the work.

As society has shifted from an agrarian to an urban structure, the joy and necessity of diligent, hard work have been neglected.

Charity must become a fundamental state of mind and heart that guides us in all we do.

Every person on the earth today lived at one time in heavenly realms. We walked with our Heavenly Father. We knew Him. We heard His voice. We loved Him.

There are many reasons our prayers may lack power. Sometimes they become routine. Our prayers become hollow when we say similar words in similar ways over and over so often that the words become more of a recitation than a communication.

Our prayers can and should be focused on the practical, everyday struggles of life.

This I have observed: There are no language barriers in the Church. There is a mighty power that transcends the power of messages conveyed by words alone, and this is the power of messages communicated by the Spirit to our hearts.

The Spirit is as operative today in communicating the gospel to all who seek the truth as it was on the day of Pentecost anciently.

President Benson's mighty influence is felt in many ways. His timely and inspired counsel to read the precious Book of Mormon brought an added appreciation of this sacred scripture to all who followed his direction.

Immorality, violence, and divorce, with their accompanying sorrows, plague society worldwide.

Some people erroneously believe that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members are not Christian. We have difficulty understanding why anyone could accept and promote an idea that is so far from the truth.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bears His name. He stands at its head and directs it through His chosen prophets.

Prophets have no other purpose, no other mission except to serve God.

Why must we love the Lord? Because as we do so, we become refined, pure, and holy.

Look at every Zion society from ancient times to present, and you find at its center love for others.

Yes, the fullness of the gospel is a pearl of great price worth any effort.