(5/28/01)
"He that is most pliant and submissive to the will of God shows the greatest wisdom among all men. He that sets up his opinion in opposition to the wishes and purposes of the Lord is of all men the farthest from God in that regard. Though he may be fashioned and formed in the image and likeness of the Father, yet he is most unlike the Son unless he can say in his heart, 'Father, not my will, but thine be done.' It is the will of the Lord that we should possess this spirit, and understand this truth. It is true that there is to us but one God, the Father, and that all men will have to be subject unto Him and are required to obey His commandments, in order that they may be free and the disciples of Christ indeed." — Joseph F. Smith, "Collected Discourses," 10 November 1895

(5/29/01)
"We ought to be humble, and submissive to the Spirit of God. We exercise our free agency as to whether we shall be members of this Church or not; but if we become members of the Church we must be obedient to the dictates of the Spirit and to him who holds the keys of this dispensation at the present time." — A. O. Woodruff, "Conference Report," April 1901, p. 12-14

(5/30/01)
"You who have unanswered questions (which all of us have); you who are torn between the teachings of contending teachers, who are confused by conflicting theories: Keep faith. Reserve judgment. Be patient. God lives. He is the source of all truth, and where there seem to be discrepancies it is simply because we do not know enough. The theories of men change swiftly, but 'the glory of God is intelligence,' (Doctrine and Covenants 93:36) and there is no truth in all the universe that the Father of us all would not wish you to seek and to accept—for man cannot be 'saved in ignorance.' (Doctrine and Covenants 131:6) Keep an open mind and an open heart and a teachable spirit. 'Seek learning, even by study and also by faith.' (Doctrine and Covenants 88:118.)" — Richard L. Evans, "Conference Report," October 1954, p. 88

(5/31/01)
"Now, the Lord our God has given unto us this probation, which we call our second estate. He said to us, in substance, 'You go down here and take this mission. I will withdraw my presence from you; a veil shall be drawn between me and you; and I will leave you to exercise your own agency on the earth. I will give you My Spirit, and increase it upon you if you will seek for it, and if you will listen to that Spirit, it will guide you aright. Then, if you will obey My Gospel you shall receive the Holy Ghost and the gifts thereof, and you shall walk in the light, knowing My mind and will through the Holy Ghost.'" — George Q. Cannon, "Collected Discourses," Vol. 4, August 26, 1894

(6/1/01)
"It is true that at times Elders need correcting, and they receive correlation in this place. It is also true that, when you correct an individual in his errors and try to place him in better circumstances pertaining to judgment and discretion, it is annoying, it is grievous, it is painful to the sensation of that individual. It is very true that chastisements are grievous when they are received; but if they are received in patience, they will work out salvation for those who cheerfully submit to them." — Brigham Young, "Journal of Discourses," 5:124

(4/14/04)
"You are here on earth for a divine purpose. It is not to be endlessly entertained or to be constantly in full pursuit of pleasure. You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive the additional blessings God has for you. (See Abr. 3:25) The tempering effect of patience is required. (See Mosiah 3:19) Some blessings will be delivered here in this life; others will come beyond the veil. The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development. That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience. If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you. (See 1 Ne. 3:7)" - Richard G. Scott, "Finding Joy in Life," Ensign, May 1996, p. 25

(5/13/04)
"Brethren, as you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give. Don't wait too long to find the altar or to begin to place the gift of your wills upon it! No need to wait for a receipt; the Lord has His own special ways of acknowledging. - Neal A. Maxwell, "Remember How Merciful the Lord Hath Been," General Conference, April 2004

(2/28/05)
"...upon returning to Jerusalem we took it upon ourselves to go again into the Garden of Gethsemane. Here it was that Jesus suffered his greatest anguish. Here it was that he sweat drops of blood; and as he knelt there in the garden alone, his disciples having remained outside, he said, 'O my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.' (Matt. 26:39.) I thought as I stood there and remembered those words, how wonderful it would be for all of us if we had the courage and the insight and the fortitude, whatever might happen to us, to say, 'Not my will, but thine be done.' That attitude makes any burden lighter. It makes any task less difficult." - Hugh B. Brown, "This Same Jesus," Ensign, Dec. 1971, p. 134

2/4/06
"The Lord is the ultimate caregiver. We must surrender ourselves to the Lord. In doing so, we give up whatever is causing our pain and turn everything over to Him. 'Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee' (Ps. 55:22). 'And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son' (Alma 33:23). Through faith and trust in the Lord and obedience to His counsel, we make ourselves eligible to be partakers of the Atonement of Jesus Christ so that one day we may return to live with Him." - Robert D. Hales, "Healing Soul and Body," CR, November 1998, p. 14

5/12/06
"Pride is the universal sin, the great vice. Yes, pride is the universal sin, the great vice.

"The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness. (See Alma 7:23.) It is the broken heart and contrite spirit. (See 3 Ne. 9:20; 3 Ne. 12:19; D&C 20:37; D&C 59:8; Ps. 34:18; Isa. 57:15; Isa. 66:2.)" - Ezra Taft Benson, "Beware of Pride," Ensign (CR), May 1989, p.4

8/22/06
"Some people want to keep one hand on the wall of the temple while touching the worlds 'unclean things' (Alma 5:57.) with the other hand. We must put both hands on the temple and hold on for dear life. One hand is not even almost enough.

"The rich young man had given almost everything. When the Savior told him he must sell all his possessions, that wasn't just a story about riches. (Matt. 19:16-22) We can have eternal life if we want it, but only if there is nothing else we want more.

"So we must willingly give everything, because God Himself can't make us grow against our will and without our full participation. Yet even when we utterly spend ourselves, we lack the power to create the perfection only God can complete. Our all by itself is still only almost enough—until it is finished by the all of Him who is the 'finisher of our faith.' (Heb. 12:2; see also Moro. 6:4.) At that point, our imperfect but consecrated almost is enough." - Bruce C. Hafen, "The Atonement: All for All," Ensign (CR), May 2004, p.97

2/3/07
"The cumulative weight of all mortal sins—past, present, and future—pressed upon that perfect, sinless, and sensitive Soul! All our infirmities and sicknesses were somehow, too, a part of the awful arithmetic of the Atonement. (See Alma 7:11-12; Isa. 53:3-5; Matt. 8:17.) The anguished Jesus not only pled with the Father that the hour and cup might pass from Him, but with this relevant citation. 'And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me.' (Mark 14:35-36.)

"Had not Jesus, as Jehovah, said to Abraham, 'Is any thing too hard for the Lord?' (Gen. 18:14.) Had not His angel told a perplexed Mary, 'For with God nothing shall be impossible?' (Luke 1:37; see also Matt. 19:28; Mark 10:27; Luke 18:27.)

"Jesus request was not theater!

"In this extremity, did He, perchance, hope for a rescuing ram in the thicket? I do not know. His suffering—as it were, enormity multiplied by infinity—evoked His later soul-cry on the cross, and it was a cry of forsakenness. (See Matt. 27:46.)

"Even so, Jesus maintained this sublime submissiveness, as He had in Gethsemane: 'Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.' (Matt. 26:39.)"  - Neal A. Maxwell, "Willing to Submit," Ensign (CR), May 1985, p.70

4/2/07
"Living members give heed to the Spirit, which quickens the inner life. They constantly seek its direction. They pray for strength and overcome difficulties. Their hearts are not set upon the things of this world but upon the infinite. Spiritual renewal is not sacrificed for physical gratification.

"Living members put Christ first in their lives, knowing from what source their lives and progress come. There is a tendency for man to put himself in the center of the universe and expect others to conform to his wants and needs and desires. Yet nature does not honor that erroneous assumption. The central role in life belongs to God. Instead of asking him to do our bidding, we should seek into bring ourselves in harmony with his will, and thus continue our progress as a living member." - Howard W. Hunter, "Am I a Living Member?," Ensign (CR), May 1987, p.16

7/17/08
"In conclusion, the submission of one's will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God's altar. The many other things we 'give,' brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God's will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!" - Neal A. Maxwell, "Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father," Ensign (CR), November 1995, p.22

10/27/09
“When we willingly submit ourselves to God, even ‘as a child doth submit to his father’ (Mosiah 3:19), we are not yielding just to any father but to a perfect Father! While it is a yielding, happy irony, one is thereby ‘added upon’ (Abraham 3:26).” - Neal A. Maxwell, “That Ye May Believe,” p. 122