James E. Faust: If performed in the right spirit, there is no higher w...

But whatever the era, whatever the times, one thing will never change: Fathers and mothers, if you have children, they must come first. You must read to your children and you must hug your children and you must love your children. Your success as a family, our success as a society, depends not on what happens in the White House but on what happens inside your house

James E. Faust

mother father children

There is no greater good in all the world than motherhood. The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.

James E. Faust

mothers-day mom life

Some of our important choices have a time line. If we delay a decision, the opportunity is gone forever. Sometimes our doubts keep us from making a choice that involves change. Thus an opportunity may be missed.

James E. Faust

decision opportunity important-choices

A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It is a foundation for the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being.

James E. Faust

grateful prayer heart

In this life we have to make many choices. Some are very important choices. Some are not. Many of our choices are between good and evil. The choices we make, however, determine to a large extent our happiness or our unhappiness, because we have to live with the consequences of our choices. Making perfect choices all of the time is not possible. It just doesn't happen. But it is possible to make good choices we can live with and grow from.

James E. Faust

struggle-between-good-and-evil happiness life

Here then is a great #‎ truth . In the #‎ pain , the #‎ agony , and the #‎ heroic endeavors of life, we pass through a #‎ refiner 's #‎ fire , and the insignificant and the unimportant in our lives can melt away like dross and make our #‎ faith #‎ bright , #‎ intact , and #‎ strong .

James E. Faust

adversity pain strong

One of the main problems in families today is that we spend less and less time together.... Time together is precious time-time needed to talk, to listen, to encourage, and to show how to do things.

James E. Faust

problem together today

We perhaps need to snatch happiness in little pieces, learning to recognize the elements of happiness and then treasuring them while they last.

James E. Faust

elements pieces needs

A husband should always try to treat his wife with the greatest courtesy and respect, holding her in the highest esteem. He should speak to her in a kind and a soft manner, showing his love by word and deed. As she feels this love and tenderness she will mirror it and return it tenfold.

James E. Faust

marriage husband mirrors

Your criticism may be worse than the conduct you are trying to correct.

James E. Faust

criticism may trying

Faith is the power, obedience is the price, love is the motive, the Spirit is the key and Christ is the reason.

James E. Faust

keys faith love

I have now lived long enough to know that, whatever our situation, our troubles melt and disappear like frost in the morning sun when we dwell upon our blessings rather than our disappointments. No matter how pessimistic one's view may become of the times and the seasons, we can always fall back on special friendship, on faithful, personal love, and on simple, true dealings in our own personal lives.

James E. Faust

disappointment morning fall

Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. People grow old by deserting their ideals. Years wrinkle the skin, but giving up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear and despair - these are the long years that bow the head and turn the growing spirit back to dust. You are as young as your faith and as old as your doubts; as young as you self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

James E. Faust

self-confidence giving-up numbers

Self-mastery is a challenge for every individual. Only we can control our appetites and passions. Self-mastery cannot be bought by money or fame. It is the ultimate test of our character. It requires climbing out of the deep valleys of our lives and scaling our own Mount Everests.

James E. Faust

climbing passion character

Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.

James E. Faust

honesty truth integrity

Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges.

James E. Faust

perseverance encounters challenges

Everybody in this life has their challenges and difficulties. That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. Peace comes through hope.

James E. Faust

purpose uplifting challenges

To be a good father and mother requires that the parents defer many of their own needs and desires in favor of the needs of their children. As a consequence of this sacrifice, conscientious parents develop a nobility of character.

James E. Faust

mother father children

Our awareness of time affects how we think and act. This is illustrated by the story about the clock in a restaurant window. It "had stopped a few minutes past noon. One day a friend asked the owner if he knew the clock was not running. 'Yes,' replied the restaurant man, 'but you would be surprised to know how many people look at that clock, think they are hungry, and come in to get something to eat."' If only there were some kind of divine timepiece that would arouse a spiritual hunger in people!

James E. Faust

spiritual running past

It is a denial of the divinity within us to doubt our potential and our possibilities.

James E. Faust

divinity denial doubt