Ezra Taft Benson Quotes

A positive self-image has little relationship to our material circumstances.

Beguiling voices in the world cry out for 'alternative lifestyles' for women. They maintain that some women are better suited for careers than for marriage and motherhood.

A man must not only stand for the right principles, but he must also fight for them. Those who fight for principle can be proud of the friends they've gained and the enemies they've earned.

We should confess His hand in all things. Ingratitude is one of our great sins.

No true Latter-day Saint and no true American can be a socialist or a communist.

Character is the one thing we make in this world and take with us into the next.

To the patriots I say this: Take that long eternal look. Stand up for freedom, no matter what the cost. Stand up and be counted. It can help to save your soul-and maybe your country.

When you choose to follow Christ, you choose to be changed.

The Book of Mormon offers so much that broadens our understandings of the doctrines of salvation. Without it, much of what is taught in other scriptures would not be nearly so plain and precious.

Freedom can be killed by neglect as well as by direct attack.

I have a vision of the whole Church getting nearer to God by abiding by the precepts of the Book of Mormon.

When we set goals we are in command. If we know where we are going, we can judge more accurately where we are now and make effective plans to reach our destination.

Pride is competition-competition between God and Man.

We must be devoted to sound principles in word and deed: principle above party, principle above pocketbook, principle above popularity.

We will not know Him, until we become like him.

Let your minds be filled with the goal of being like the Lord, and you will crowd out depressing thoughts as you anxiously seek to know Him and do His will.

Daily, constantly, we choose by our desires, our thoughts, and our actions whether we want to be blessed or cursed, happy or miserable.

The high cost of low living.

Just as a man does not desire food until he is hungry, so does he not desire the salvation of Christ until he knows why he needs Christ.

Our desires, be they spiritual or temporal, should be rooted in a love of the Lord.

The great task of life is to learn the will of the Lord and then do it.

I grew up believing that the willingness and ability to work is the basic ingredient of successful farming. Hard, intelligent work is the key. Use it, and your chances for success are good.

No society will long survive without mothers who care for their young and provide that nurturing care so essential for their normal development.

Communities have a responsibility to assist the family in promoting wholesome entertainment. What a community tolerates will become tomorrow's standard for today's youth.

The God of heaven sent some of His choicest spirits to lay the foundation of this government. And he has sent other choice spirits to preserve it.

Successful families try to work together toward solutions instead of resorting to criticism and contention.

Becoming Christlike is a lifetime pursuit and very often involves growth and change that is slow, almost imperceptible.

If we have any criticism of our leaders, we invite Satan into our lives and beliefs.

Records, radio, television, movies, magazines-all are monopolized by the money managers who are guided by one ethic, the words wealth and power.

It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters.

We can choose to humble ourselves by receiving counsel and chastisement, . . . by forgiving those who have offended us, . . . by rendering selfless service. . . .

Strong families cultivate an attribute of effective communication. They talk out their problems, make plans together, and cooperate toward common objectives.

I would rather say whoa to a leader than gittie up.

Without Christ there would be no Christmas and without Christ there can be no fulness of JOY

Satan knows that youth is the springtime of life when all things are new and young people are most vulnerable.

Nations cannot endure in sin.

I speak of honor-your honor to God-your honor to country-your honor to self. I sincerely believe it to be the cure to most of our ills, both on a national or individual basis.

Thank God for the joys of family life. I have often said there can be no genuine happiness separate and apart from a good home. The sweetest influences and associations of life are there

The Lord is letting the wheat and the tares mature before he fully purges the Church. He is also testing you to see if you will be misled. The devil is trying to deceive the very elect.

The responsibility of a man is to lead his family.

Adequate early rest is best...."Early to bed and early to rise" is still good counsel.

A mother's role is God-ordained. Mothers are to conceive, bear, nourish, love, and train. They are to be helpmates and are to counsel with their husbands.

Those who are heavy-laden with despair should come unto the Lord.

One of the cardinal sins in our country is profanity -- the taking of the name of the Lord in vain.

The Church has no double standard of morality. The moral code of heaven for both men and women is complete chastity before marriage and full fidelity after marriage.

Fidelity to one's marriage vows is absolutely essential for love, trust and peace

One of Satan's most frequently used deceptions is the notion that the commandments of God are meant to restrict freedom and limit happiness.

While you are going through your trial, you can recall your past victories and coul the blessings that you do have with a sure hope of greater ones to allow if you are faithful.

Unless we do his teachings, we do not demonstrate faith in him.

I have a vision of artists putting into film, drama, literature, music, and paintings great themes and great characters from the Book of Mormon.