When I think of happiness or joy in this life, I begin with some experiences that are simple and basic. I see the expression on the face of a one-year-old taking those first steps. I think of a child loving a puppy or a kitten. If the more mature have not dulled their physical or spiritual sensitivities by excess or disuse, they can also experience joy in what is simple and basic.

Dallin H. Oaks

You can never get enough of what you don't need, because what you don't need won't satisfy you.

Dallin H. Oaks

wise-words spiritual needs

Adversities are temporary. What is permanent is what we become by the way we react to them.

Dallin H. Oaks

adversity permanent way

When we face seemingly insurmountable obstacles in the fulfillment of righteous responsibilities, we should remember that when we are involved in the work of the Lord, the obstacles before us are never as great as the power behind us. We should reach out and climb. Handholds will only be found by hands that are outstretched. Footholds are only for feet that are on the move.

Dallin H. Oaks

adversity responsibility moving

A good marriage does not require a perfect man or a perfect woman. It only requires a man and a woman committed to strive together toward perfection.

Dallin H. Oaks

marriage family couple

Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.

Dallin H. Oaks

priorities-in-life choices desire

I say, choose faith. Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.

Dallin H. Oaks

pessimism unseen doubt

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the brightest light and the only hope for this darkened world.

Dallin H. Oaks

light world jesus

Following Christ is not a casual or occasional practice but a continuous commitment and way of life that applies at all times and in all places.

Dallin H. Oaks

following-christ practice commitment

I believe many of us are overnourished on entertainment junk food and undernourished on the bread of life.

Dallin H. Oaks

bread-of-life junk believe

If we knew that we would meet the Lord tomorrow - through our premature death or through His unexpected coming - what would we do today? What confessions would we make? What practices would we discontinue? What accounts would we settle? What forgivenesses would we extend? What testimonies would we bear? If we would do those things then, why not now?

Dallin H. Oaks

why-not practice today

Healing blessings come in many ways, each suited to our individual needs, as known to Him who loves us best. Sometimes a ‘healing’ cures our illness or lifts our burden. But sometimes we are ‘healed’ by being given strength or understanding or patience to bear the burdens placed upon us.

Dallin H. Oaks

lds blessing healing

The purpose of the gospel is to transform common creatures into celestial citizens, and that requires change.

Dallin H. Oaks

citizens purpose common

Man's laws cannot make moral what God has declared immoral

Dallin H. Oaks

moral law men

When we understand our relationship to God, we also understand our relationship to one another.

Dallin H. Oaks

our-relationship

All of us should banish hateful communications and practice civility for differences of opinion.

Dallin H. Oaks

differences communication practice

If we choose the wrong road, we choose the wrong destination.

Dallin H. Oaks

wrong-road oaks destination

Even as we seek to be meek and to avoid contention, we must not compromise or dilute our commitment to the truths we understand. We must not surrender our positions or our values. The gospel of Jesus Christ and the covenants we have made inevitably cast us as combatants in the eternal contest between truth and error. there is no middle ground in that contest.

Dallin H. Oaks

errors commitment jesus

It's amazing how much you can get done if you don't worry about who gets the credit.

Dallin H. Oaks

business worry religion

Our priorities are most visible in how we use our time. Someone has said, “Three things never come back—the spent arrow, the spoken word, and the lost opportunity.” We cannot recycle or save the time allotted to us each day. With time, we have only one opportunity for choice, and then it is gone forever.

Dallin H. Oaks

priorities arrows opportunity

We need to remember the purpose of our service to one another. If it were only to accomplish some part of His work, God could dispatch 'legions of angels.' . . . But that would not achieve the purpose of the service He has prescribed. We serve God and our fellowmen in order to become the kind of children who can return to live with our heavenly parents.

Dallin H. Oaks

angel order children