David O. Mckay

As precious as life itself is our heritage of individual freedom, for man's free agency is a God-given gift.

The rising sun can dispel the darkness of night, but it cannot banish the blackness of malice, hatred, bigotry, and selfishness from the hearts of humanity.

Motherhood is the one thing in all the world which most truly exemplifies the God-given virtues of creating and sacrificing. Though it carries the woman close to the brink of death, motherhood also leads her into the very realm of the fountains of life and makes her co-partner with the Creator in bestowing upon eternal spirits mortal life.

It is possible to make home a bit of heaven; indeed, I picture heaven to be a continuation of the ideal home

Happiness and peace will come to earth only as the light of love and human compassion enter the souls of men.

Out of the homes of America will come the future citizens of America, and only as those homes are what they should be will this nation be what it should be.

There are seeds of happiness planted in every human soul. Our mental attitude and disposition constitute the environment in which these seeds may germinate.

Pleasure is not the purpose of man's existence. Joy is.

Man's greatest happiness comes from losing himself for the good of others.

Seek to share joy with others, or to make somebody else happy, and you will find your own soul radiant with the joy you wished for another.

Only to the extent that men desire peace and brotherhood can the world be made better. No peace even though temporarily obtained, will be permanent, whether to individuals or nations, unless it is built upon the solid foundation of eternal principles.

If our young people could but glimpse it, it would be the most powerful spiritual motivation of their lives!

The real test of any church or religion is the kind of men it makes.

Every noble impulse, every unselfish expression of love, every surrender of self to something higher than self, every loyalty to an ideal, every fine courage of the soul – by doing good for good’s sake – that is spirituality. –

That which a man continually thinks about determines his actions in times of opportunity and stress. I will know what you are if you tell me what you think about when you don't have to think.

An unsatisfied appetite for knowledge means progress and is the state of a normal mind.

Motherhood is the greatest potential influence either for good or ill in human life. The mother's image is the first that stamps itself on the unwritten page of the young child's mind. It is her caress that first awakens a sense of security; her kiss, the first realization of affection; her sympathy and tenderness, the first assurance that there is love in the world.

Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. Your character will grow; your faith will increase. There is a relationship between these two: the greater your faith, the stronger your character, and increased character enhances your ability to exercise even greater faith.

True education is awakening a love for truth...opening the eyes of the soul to the great purpose and end of life.

One of my most precious possessions is my memory of a home in which love was supreme, in which I cannot recall ever a cross word having passed between father and mother. We all owe such a blessing to our children.

There is no development of character without resistance, there is no growth of spirituality without overcoming.