(5/21/00)
"I wonder how many of us know that we are spirit children of God; and when
we are praying, whether it's over a meal, beginning or closing of a
meeting, or at a baptism or confirmation, or the blessing of the bread and
water in the sacrament, that we are actually talking to God. He is there,
he hears our prayers, and he blesses us." — "He Is There," General
Conference, April 1981
(5/22/00)
"Immorality and unchastity are so common today that our youth, seeing many
types, of perversions on television and in movies, are feeling that these
are accepted modes of living. I cannot emphasize too strongly the
importance of keeping ourselves clean and pure and chaste in order to be
worthy to bear this holy priesthood and to prepare ourselves and our
families for eternal life." — "Ready To Work Long Hours," General
Conference, October 1976
(5/23/00)
"Satan is at work, my brethren and sisters. Our freedom is at stake. It is
the responsibility of everyone who calls himself a Christian, and
particularly for every member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, and more particularly for every holder of the priesthood of God,
to take a firm stand and a determined stand against evil. It is my
testimony to you, my brothers and sisters, wherever you may be, that God
has given us the solution to our problems, the plan by which we can enjoy
peace in the world and peace in our lives." — "Conference Report," October
1961, p. 107
(5/24/00)
"The birth, life, death and resurrection, and the message of our Lord and
Savior is the central theme of all scripture -- the Old Testament, the New
Testament, and our latter-day scriptures, the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and
Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. What would the scriptures be without
this message? All other things lose their meaning and purpose and fade
into insignificance." — "Conference Report," April 1969, p. 116
(5/25/00)
"The issue, then, becomes quite clear; that it is not what kind of God man
can believe in, but what kind of man does the living God reach." —
"Conference Report," April 1966, p. 137
(5/26/00)
"Referring to these covenants in the temple, I would like to say to you
again, remember these three words: keep the covenants. And I think I am
safe in saying to you that if you and your families will keep these
covenants, you will be happy, you will be successful, you will be
respected, you will have good families that you can take back into the
presence of our Heavenly Father. All you will have to do is remember three
words: keep the covenants, the obligations that you have taken upon
yourselves, the pledges that you have made. Keep the covenants." —
"Conference Report," October 1966, p. 99
(3/27/02)
"This love of which the Savior spoke, and which he emphasizes as being the
most important thing in life, must begin in the home and then be carried
into our daily lives. Tolerance and respect for others' beliefs must be
taught in the home. Children must learn to love and live and play with
those of differing beliefs, while being staunch and true to their own
convictions and teachings." — N. Eldon Tanner, "The
Great
Commandments," Ensign, July 1980, p. 3-4
(7/7/03)
"I gave a talk on Mother's Day to four or five hundred M-Men and Gleaners.
I told them: 'Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long
upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.' (Ex. 20:12) I finished
with this thought, and I would like to leave the thought with you: The
parents that you should honor more than any others are the parents of your
children-to-be. Those children are entitled to the best parents that it is
possible for you to give them-clean parents. I am so thankful that when I
found Sally Merrill I found a girl who could go to the temple with me, and
a girl who had lived so that she could look her five daughters in the face
and expect them to live the way they should, knowing that she had." --
Nathan Eldon Tanner, "My Experiences and Observations," "BYU Speeches of
the Year," 1966, p. 10
(7/31/03)
"Let me suggest that you set about now to make up your minds what you want
to be and that you be determined to be it no matter what. You are prepared
to meet all opposition, all ridicule and all temptation. And let us
realize that as you rationalize and begin to try to explain what you have
done and have excused yourself for what you are going to do or are doing,
or have done, you are bringing your ideals down, down, down to your
actions. But when you are prepared to repent and say, 'I am prepared and
determined to do the things that I have decided to do—serve the Lord, keep
his commandments, be the kind of person I think my sons and daughters are
entitled to as parents, choose to do the thing the way I would like my son
or daughter to do it'—then you are raising your actions up to your ideals.
As you do that, the Lord will bless you. You will find joy and happiness
in this life and in the life to come." — Nathan Eldon Tanner, "Choose You
this Day Whom Ye Will Serve," "BYU Speeches of the Year," 1963 p. 10
(8/20/03)
"We all know that there are many, many things in science which we do not
understand, but which we must and do accept. Where would we be if the laws
of nature and the laws of God were limited to man's understanding? We have
been admonished: 'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding.' (Prov. 3:5)" — N. Eldon Tanner, "General
Conference Reports," April 1969, p. 116
(9/21/03)
"As I read this, I went to the Interpreter's Bible, which is written in
twelve volumes, and is a commentary on all of the Old and New Testaments.
This commentary was prepared by thirty-six consulting editors with over
one hundred recognized, capable contributors and deals with all quotations
from the Bible, taking them verse by verse and explaining their meaning
and application. When I came to Ezekiel 37th chapter, verses 15 through
17, which I have just read, no feasible explanation was given, but
conjectures only were made. This is no reflection on the editors or
contributors to this great commentary, as they knew of no way to get the
meaning. Here again, by direct revelation and by direct revelation only,
do we understand clearly what Ezekiel meant." - N. Eldon Tanner, "General
Conference Reports," April 1964, p. 62
(10/22/04)
"Our Lord gave us an example of the true spirit of forgiveness when he
said from the cross, '... Father, forgive them; for they know not what
they do.' (Luke 23:34.)
We read also of that faithful disciple, Stephen, who was persecuted and
stoned, 'And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not
this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.' (Acts
7:60.)" - N. Eldon Tanner, "The
Importance
of Prayer," Ensign, May 1974, p. 53
(12/28/04)
"I suggest to you that if we were spiritually sound, if we were living the
teachings of Jesus Christ, whom we must serve if we are to survive as
individuals and nations, then the political and economic problems already
would be solved, because by living the Ten Commandments and other
teachings of God we could all live together in peace and prosperity. As we
review these teachings we can find nothing in them which, if lived, will
not make us better and happier in every way." - N. Eldon Tanner, "Choose
You
This Day," Ensign, June 1971, p. 13
(1/10/05)
"If we had knowledge tonight that some young man was lost, if anyone knew
of someone who was drowning, we wouldn't hesitate one minute to do all in
our power to save that individual, to save the one who was lost, the one
who was drowning, the one who was in need of our help. These young men and
these older men who are inactive in the Church, who have strayed away from
the Church because of inactivity or for any reason, need our help and need
our attention just as much. They need our prayers and our consideration,
and nothing will bring us greater joy and happiness than to see one come
back into activity. By saving one, we might save a family. We might even
save a generation. By losing one, we may lose not only the individual but
a family and his posterity. The responsibility is great." - N. Eldon
Tanner, "Search
for
the Wanderers," Ensign, June 1971, p. 59
(2/1/05)
"Immediately after God left Adam and Eve in the garden, telling them to
partake freely of the fruit of all the trees except one, of which they
were commanded not to partake, Satan began his nefarious plan for their
destruction. Following Satan's successful attempt, God returned to the
garden; and because they were ashamed, Adam and Eve were hiding from him,
so he called: 'Where art thou?' a question which can and does apply to
every one of us individually and collectively, and one which we might well
be asking ourselves as it applies to our relationship to God and our
fellowmen....
"When God said 'Where art thou?' he knew where Adam was. With his
omniscience he knew what had taken place, but he was calling Adam to
consider the seriousness of his actions and to report to him. But Adam had
hidden himself because he was ashamed.
"We are all like Adam in that when we partake of 'forbidden fruits' or do
the things we are commanded not to do, we are ashamed, and we draw away
from the Church and from God and hide ourselves, and if we continue in
sin, the Spirit of God withdraws from us. There is no happiness in
disobedience or sin. We have all learned from our childhood that we are
happier when we are doing right." - N. Eldon Tanner, "Where Art Thou,"
Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 33
(3/2/05)
"It is important for us to understand, as we can learn from the
scriptures, that God is eternal, that his creations are eternal, and that
his truths are eternal. Therefore, when he gave Eve to Adam in marriage,
that union would be eternal. Marriage as ordained of God and performed in
his holy temples is eternal-not just until death." - N. Eldon Tanner, "Celestial
Marriages
and Eternal Families," Ensign, May 1980, p. 16
(5/8/05)
"The most difficult thing for us seems to be to give of ourselves, to do
away with selfishness. If we really love someone, nothing is too difficult
for us to do for that individual. There is no real happiness in having or
getting unless we are doing it for the purpose of giving it to others.
Half the world seems to be following the wrong scent in the pursuit of
happiness—many think it consists of having and getting and being served,
when really happiness is found in serving others." - N. Eldon Tanner, "The
Great Commandments," Ensign, July 1980, p. 4
(7/29/05)
"We are fortunate to have the gospel of Jesus Christ and to understand
what it can mean to us as we prepare ourselves here to live forever in the
presence of God. The world does not understand the meaning of eternal
life; we have the opportunity and responsibility, therefore, to teach all
nations this glorious principle." - N. Eldon Tanner, "The
Power of Example," Ensign, Dec. 1981, 2
3/23/06
"'But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
"'And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if
ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe
the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and
administer relief to the sick and the afflicted (Jacob
2:18-19).'
"The foundation and perspective then are these: We must first seek the
kingdom, work and plan and spend wisely, plan for the future, and use what
wealth we are blessed with to help build up that kingdom. When guided by
this eternal perspective and by building on this firm foundation, we can
pursue with confidence our daily tasks and our life's work, which must be
carefully planned and diligently pursued." - N. Eldon Tanner, "Constancy
Amid Change," Ensign (CR), November 1979, p.80
7/23/06
"We must always remember that though we are in the world, we must not be
part of it. We just cannot follow the ways of the world. We must dare to
be different. We must not be influenced by those who would call us
peculiar. The Lord said to the children of Israel:
"'For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth.' (Deut. 14:2.)" - N. Eldon Tanner, "Ready to Work Long Hours," Ensign (CR), November 1976, p.73
12/16/06
"The Lord has said, 'I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of
you it is required to forgive all men.' (D&C
64:10.) We are further admonished to forgive many times, even
seventy times seven. We should stop and ask ourselves if we are prepared
to ask the Lord to forgive us of our sins and trespasses only as we
forgive our friends and neighbors. How wonderful it would be if we would
all forgive and love our neighbors. Then it would be much easier for us to
call upon the Lord to forgive us of any of our wrongdoings, and as we
repent and bring forth fruits meet for repentance, we can expect Gods
forgiveness and mercy to be extended in our behalf." - N. Eldon Tanner, "The
Importance of Prayer," Ensign (CR), May 1974, p.50
3/19/07
"One young boy on the school ground can wield a mighty influence for good.
One young man on the football team, or the campus, or among his fellow
workers can, by living the gospel, honoring his priesthood, and taking a
stand for the right, do untold good. Often you will experience much
criticism and ridicule even by those who believe as you do, even though
they may respect you for doing right. But remember that the Savior himself
was tormented, ridiculed, spat upon, and finally crucified because he
would not waver in his conviction. Have you ever stopped to think what
would have happened had he weakened and said, 'Oh, what's the use?' and
abandoned his mission? Do we want to be quitters, or do we want to be
valiant servants in spite of all the opposition and evil in the world? Let
us have the courage to stand up and be counted as true, devoted followers
of Christ." - N. Eldon Tanner, "For
They Loved the Praise of Men More Than the Praise of God," Ensign
(CR), November 1975, p.74
7/1/07
"Let us enjoy the good things in life. Enjoy the gospel and its teachings.
Let us not waste our time looking for things to criticize in the gospel or
in our neighbors. We must look at ourselves and repent and improve. And
let us remember that there is nothing else quite so sure as that we will
one day leave this frail existence. Let us set about to prepare ourselves
for that day." - N. Eldon Tanner, "Conference Report," October 1966,
Second Day—Morning Meeting, p.49
8/27/07
"We must not be misled by the doctrines of men. All the studies of science
and philosophy will never answer the question: 'What is man and why is he
here?' But it is answered clearly and simply in the gospel of Jesus
Christ, and we are instructed: 'If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of
God.' (Jas. 1:5.)" - N.
Eldon Tanner, "Conference Report," October 1967, Second Day—Morning
Meeting, p.53
11/27/07
"May we always remember and acknowledge that Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
the Savior of the world, came and gave his life for you and me, and accept
his teachings as the way of life and salvation, and be prepared to so live
that we may be found worthy of his sacrifice as we prepare ourselves to
enjoy immortality and eternal life. As we do this, we will bring glory to
his name and salvation to ourselves." - N. Eldon Tanner, "The
Importance of Prayer," Ensign (CR), May 1974, p.50
10/10/08
"The foundation and perspective then are these: We must first seek the
kingdom, work and plan and spend wisely, plan for the future, and use what
wealth we are blessed with to help build up that kingdom. When guided by
this eternal perspective and by building on this firm foundation, we can
pursue with confidence our daily tasks and our life’s work, which must be
carefully planned and diligently pursued." - N. Eldon Tanner, "Constancy
Amid Change," Ensign (CR), November 1979, p.80
3/19/09
"We cannot go astray if we listen to the prophet's voice and follow him,
and as we do so we will be led in the path of truth and righteousness and
enjoy the love, respect, and confidence of our fellowmen, and eventually
enjoy eternal life with our Father in heaven. Or we may refuse and lose
all these great blessings." - N. Eldon Tanner, "Thou Mayest Choose for
Thyself", Ensign (CR), July 1973, p.7
8/28/09
“Satan is at work, my brethren and sisters. Our freedom is at stake. It is
the responsibility of everyone who calls himself a Christian, and
particularly for every member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, and more particularly for every holder of the priesthood of God,
to take a firm stand and a determined stand against evil. It is my
testimony to you, my brothers and sisters, wherever you may be, that God
has given us the solution to our problems, the plan by which we can enjoy
peace in the world and peace in our lives.” - Nathan Eldon Tanner,
“Conference Report,” October 1961, Third Day–Morning Meeting, p. 107
8/7/11
We say, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father.” Do we really believe that
he is the Father of our spirit, and act accordingly? We say, “We believe
in … His Son, Jesus Christ.” Do we really believe that Jesus Christ is our
Savior, and act accordingly? Would we live the way we do if we were
conscious of that all the time? - N. Eldon Tanner, "Remember
Who You Are," Ensign (CR) October 1981
1/1/12
The choice to serve God, worthily made, does not necessarily preclude a
home or sufficient money or income, or the things of this world which
bring joy and happiness, but it does require that we must not turn away
from God and the teachings of Jesus Christ while in the pursuit of our
temporal needs. - N. Eldon Tanner, "Choose
You This Day", Ensign (CR), June 1971, p.11
3/10/12
Today there are many subjects being discussed because of the controversies
all around us. It should be evident to all that we need divine direction,
since men and women who argue about these controversies seem to be unable
to come to workable or peaceable solutions. It is sad indeed that the
world does not know or accept the fact that in our midst is a prophet
through whom God can direct the solution of world problems. - N.
Eldon Tanner, "The
Debate is Over," Liahona, June 1980
