I will never again see home teaching or visiting teaching as only programs of the Church. Those faithful teachers saw what they were doing for what it really was. Such work is an opportunity, not a burden. Every member has made the covenant in the waters of baptism to be a witness for God. Every member has made a covenant to do works of kindness as the Savior would do. So any call to bear witness and to care for others is not a request for extra service; it is a blessing designed by a loving Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. They have provided such calls as well as other settings, sometimes without a formal call, all for the same purpose. Each is a chance to prove what blessings flow from being a covenant people, and each is an opportunity for which you agreed to be accountable. Each is a sacred responsibility for others accepted in the waters of baptism but too often not met because it may not be recognized for what it is.

-Elder Henry B. Eyring, "Witnesses of God," October 1996 General Conference

In each of these suggestions, there is a common theme: fill your life with service to others. As you lose your life in the service of Father in Heaven’s children,²³Satan’s temptations lose power in your life.

-Elder Richard G. Scott, "Personal Strength Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ", October 2013 General Conference

True repentance is about transformation, not torture or torment.
-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Can Do It Now!" October 2013 General Conference

No one likes to fail. And we particularly don’t like it when others—especially those we love—see us fail. We all want to be respected and esteemed. We want to be champions. But we mortals do not become champions without effort and discipline or without making mistakes.

Brethren, our destiny is not determined by the number of times we stumble but by the number of times we rise up, dust ourselves off, and move forward.

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "You Can Do It Now!" October 2013 General Conference

And then the Savior appeared and commanded the multitude “that their little children should be brought” to Him (3 Nephi 17:11). How eager those parents must have been to bring their children to the Savior. And then they watched as the Savior wept over their children, blessed them one by one, prayed unto the Father for them, and called down angels to minister unto them (see 3 Nephi 17:21, 24). This account reminds us that it is the Savior who is the great protector, the ultimate teacher, and the eternal source of love and healing.

As the darkness of this day surrounds us, we are also commanded to bring our children to the Savior, and as Elder Ballard has reminded us, “we are the ones God has appointed to encircle today’s children with love and the fire of faith and an understanding of who they are” (“Behold Your Little Ones,” Tambuli, Oct. 1994, 40; “Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children,” Ensign, Apr. 1994, 60).

-Margaret S. Lifferth, "Behold Your Little Ones," October 2006 General Conference

Brothers and sisters, protecting children means that we provide an environment that invites the Spirit into their lives and validates it in their hearts.

-Margaret S. Lifferth, "Behold Your Little Ones," October 2006 General Conference

As we minister to children with the same devotion and commitment demonstrated by the Savior, we bless them with love, security, faith, testimony, and the courage to resist evil.

-Michaelene P. Grassli, "Behold Your Little Ones," October 1992 General Conference

Let us not underestimate the capacity and potential power of today’s children to perpetuate righteousness. No group of people in the Church is as receptive to the truth, both in efficiency of learning and with the greatest degree of retention. No group is as vulnerable to erroneous teaching, and no group suffers more from neglect or abuse. Children cannot provide for themselves. We, the adults of the world, must open the way for them. Our little children worldwide deserve to be “remembered and nourished by the good word of God, to keep them in the right way.” (Moro. 6:4.)

Jesus gave us a clear pattern to follow in fulfilling our responsibility to nurture and teach children. Our challenges differ from those of the Nephites because we live in a different time. But the Savior’s way is timeless. In his church, there can be no other way. As he demonstrated, our physical presence and attention is vital to the children in our families, church, and communities. We can know their needs and minister to them when we spend time with them. We can behold our children in their eternal perspective and see that they all know of the Savior and learn the significant truths of his gospel. We can help them witness marvelous spiritual events. They can hear our earnest prayers in their behalf. We are their ministering angels on earth if we follow the Lord’s example.

-Michaelene P. Grassli, "Behold Your Little Ones," October 1992 General Conference

Living with intention requires that each one of us invent new and improved habits, beginning today, that will help us with our challenges and guarantee our success. Living with intention means actively seeking for that which is best, every single day of our lives, actively seeking for that which will bring us peace and happiness and  eternal life, even when it’s hard.
-Margaret Wheelwright, "Living with Intention," Devotional or Speech given at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, February 28, 2012

The true hallmark of ALL successful people is consistent, purposeful action...
-Margaret Wheelwright, "Living with Intention," Devotional or Speech given at Brigham Young University-Hawaii, February 28, 2012

Each of us has had the experience of matching a truth or a realization through inspiring words or music from others to something deep within our souls. When that connection happens, it feels like a small explosion of knowing. We are lifted and warmed; both our minds and our hearts are involved. These experiences, at least momentarily, verify our kinship with one another and with God. They help us sense anew who we are and who we may become. As we understand such communication, we can see better the opportunities to learn that lie unused all around us. It becomes easier to identify the ways we have become prone to routine, allowing comfortable habits to insulate us from using our minds with spiritual power to see “a more excellent way” (1 Cor. 12:31).
-Aileen H. Clyde, "Charity and Learning," Ensign, Nov. 1994

Through the blessings of service and sacrifice, they experience a humbling change of heart that allows them to discern the difference between the tendency of taking in the world in contrast to the giving of the kingdom of God.
-Elder Robert D. Hales, "Blessings of the Priesthood," October 1995 General Conference

With increased vision comes increased motivation.
-Elder Tad R. Callister, "The Power of the Priesthood in the Boy," April 2013 General Conference

“As we love the temple, touch the temple, and attend the temple, our lives will reflect our faith. As we come to these holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we shall be able to bear every trial and overcome each temptation” (Be Your Best Self [1979], 56; emphasis added).
-President Thomas S. Monson, quoted by Elder William R. Walker, "Our Prophet: Thomas S. Monson," CES Devotional, May 5, 2013

On one occasion President Monson said: “We … can choose to have a positive attitude. We can’t direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails. In other words, we can choose to be happy and positive, regardless of what comes our way” (“Messages of Inspiration from President Monson,” Church News, Sept. 2, 2012, 2).
-Quoted by -Elder William R. Walker, "Our Prophet: Thomas S. Monson," CES Devotional, May 5, 2013

This is the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ, to love our fellowmen and to do all we can to bless their lives.
-Elder William R. Walker, "Our Prophet: Thomas S. Monson," CES Devotional, May 5, 2013

We have all seen a toddler learn to walk. He takes a small step and totters. He falls. Do we scold such an attempt? Of course not. What father would punish a toddler for stumbling? We encourage, we applaud, and we praise because with every small step, the child is becoming more like his parents.

Now, brethren, compared to the perfection of God, we mortals are scarcely more than awkward, faltering toddlers. But our loving Heavenly Father wants us to become more like Him, and, dear brethren, that should be our eternal goal too. God understands that we get there not in an instant but by taking one step at a time.

I do not believe in a God who would set up rules and commandments only to wait for us to fail so He could punish us. I believe in a Heavenly Father who is loving and caring and who rejoices in our every effort to stand tall and walk toward Him. Even when we stumble, He urges us not to be discouraged—never to give up or flee our allotted field of service—but to take courage, find our faith, and keep trying.

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Four Titles," April 2013 General Conference

"[Motherhood] is not something to do if you can squeeze the time in. It is what God gave you time for."
-Quoted by Elder Neil L. Andersen, "Children" October 2011 General Conference
Rachel Jankovic, “Motherhood Is a Calling (and Where Your Children Rank),” July 14, 2011, desiringgod.org.

A great leader must have high expectations, tempered with patience.
-Spencer J. Condie, "Some Scriptural Lessons on Leadership," April 1990 General Conference

We must be so careful in speaking to a child. What we say or don’t say, how we say it and when is so very, very important in shaping a child’s view of himself or herself. But it is even more important in shaping that child’s faith in us and their faith in God. Be constructive in your comments to a child—always. Never tell them, even in whimsy, that they are fat or dumb or lazy or homely. You would never do that maliciously, but they remember and may struggle for years trying to forget—and to forgive.
-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Tongue of Angels,” April 2007 General Conference

I consider charity—or “the pure love of Christ”—to be the opposite of criticism and judging.

...

Charity is having patience with someone who has let us down. It is resisting the impulse to become offended easily. It is accepting weaknesses and shortcomings. It is accepting people as they truly are. It is looking beyond physical appearances to attributes that will not dim through time. It is resisting the impulse to categorize others.

-President Thomas S. Monson, “Charity Never Faileth,” Nov 2010 General Conference

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.

Leo Buscaglia

Rather than dwell on death, Lincoln prefers to live life on his own terms.  "If I am killed I can die but once," he is fond of saying, " but to live in constant dread is to die over and over again."
-From Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard

In our remarkable parental stewardship, there are many ways that goodly parents can access the help and support they need to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to their children. Let me suggest five things parents can do to create stronger family cultures:

First, parents can pray in earnest, asking our Eternal Father to help them love, understand, and guide the children He has sent to them.

Second, they can hold family prayer, scripture study, and family home evenings and eat together as often as possible, making dinner a time of communication and the teaching of values.

Third, parents can fully avail themselves of the Church’s support network, communicating with their children’s Primary teachers, youth leaders, and class and quorum presidencies. By communicating with those who are called and set apart to work with their children, parents can provide essential understanding of a child’s special and specific needs.

Fourth, parents can share their testimonies often with their children, commit them to keep the commandments of God, and promise the blessings that our Heavenly Father promises His faithful children.

Fifth, we can organize our families based on clear, simple family rules and expectations, wholesome family traditions and rituals, and “family economics,” where children have household responsibilities and can earn allowances so that they can learn to budget, save, and pay tithing on the money they earn.

These suggestions for creating stronger family cultures work in tandem with the culture of the Church. Our strengthened family cultures will be a protection for our children from “the fiery darts of the adversary” (1 Nephi 15:24) embedded in their peer culture, the entertainment and celebrity cultures, the credit and entitlement cultures, and the Internet and media cultures to which they are constantly exposed. Strong family cultures will help our children live in the world and not become “of the world” (John 15:19).

-Elder L. Tom Perry, "Becoming Goodly Parents," October 2012 General Conference

Culture is defined as the way of life of a people. There is a unique gospel culture, a set of values and expectations and practices common to all members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This gospel culture, or way of life, comes from the plan of salvation, the commandments of God, and the teachings of living prophets. It is given expression in the way we raise our families and live our individual lives.
-Elder L. Tom Perry, "Becoming Goodly Parents,"October 2012 General Conference

All parents aspire to raise the kind of children that they know will make the right choices--even when they themselves are not there to supervise.  One of the most effective ways to do that is to build the right family culture.  It becomes the informal but powerful set of guidelines about how your family behaves.
...
This is what is so powerful about culture.  It's like an autopilot.  What is critical to understand is that for it to be an effective force, you have to properly program the autopilot--you have to build the culture that you want in your family.  If you do not consciously build it and reinforce it from the earliest stages of your family life, a culture will still form--but it will form in ways you may not like.  -Clayton M. Christensen, How Will You Measure Your Life?, pp. 172-173.

“Heaven is a place, but also a condition; it is home and family. It is understanding and kindness. It is interdependence and selfless activity. It is quiet, sane living; personal sacrifice, genuine hospitality, wholesome concern for others. It is living the commandments of God without ostentation or hypocrisy. It is selflessness. It is all about us. We need only to be able to recognize it as we find it and enjoy it. Yes, my dear brother, I’ve had many glimpses of heaven.”
-President Spencer W. Kimball, "Glimpses of Heaven," Ensign, December 1971

Thus, as dedicated disciples we must act and make prophetic priorities our priorities. In order to do this we will need to be riveted on the words of the current prophets, seers, and revelators.
-Elaine S. Dalton, "Prophetic Priorities and Dedicated Disciples," BYU Devotional, January 15, 2013

But buying into that worldly philosophy denies the knowledge you already have that you are not ordinary and that you have come here to go forward with faith and with the power of your youth and your unique perspective. Don’t let old paradigms become your parameters.
-Elaine S. Dalton, "Prophetic Priorities and Dedicated Disciples," BYU Devotional, January 15, 2013

The word confidence is composed of two Latin words: con, meaning “with,” and fideo, meaning “faith.” So you see, confidence means “with faith.”
-Elaine S. Dalton, "Prophetic Priorities and Dedicated Disciples," BYU Devotional, January 15, 2013

God has designed this mortal existence to require nearly constant exertion. I recall the Prophet Joseph Smith’s simple statement: “By continuous labor [we] were enabled to get a comfortable maintenance” (Joseph Smith—History 1:55). By work we sustain and enrich life. It enables us to survive the disappointments and tragedies of the mortal experience. Hard-earned achievement brings a sense of self-worth. Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires.
-Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Reflections on a Consecrated Life," October 2010 General Conference

The word stewardship calls to mind the Lord’s law of consecration (see, for example, D&C 42:32, 53), which has an economic role but, more than that, is an application of celestial law to life here and now (see D&C 105:5). To consecrate is to set apart or dedicate something as sacred, devoted to holy purposes. True success in this life comes in consecrating our lives—that is, our time and choices—to God’s purposes (see John 17:1, 4; D&C 19:19). In so doing, we permit Him to raise us to our highest destiny.
-Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Reflections on a Consecrated Life," October 2010 General Conference

When the time comes, young men, make your career choices. Know that whether one is a neurosurgeon, forest ranger, mechanic, farmer, or teacher is a matter of preference not of principle. While those career choices are clearly very important, these do not mark your real career path. Instead, brethren, you are sojourning sons of God who have been invited to take the path that leads home. There, morticians will find theirs is not the only occupation to become obsolete. But the capacity to work and work wisely will never become obsolete. And neither will the ability to learn.
-Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel," April 1998 General Conference 

I have not seen any perspiration-free shortcuts to the celestial kingdom; there is no easy escalator to take us there.
-Elder Neal A. Maxwell, "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel," April 1998 General Conference

Let us also teach our children to see that the work assigned is carried to its completion, to take pride in what they accomplish. There is a real satisfaction that comes from finishing a task, especially when it is the best work we know how to do.
- -Elder L. Tom Perry, "The Joy of Honest Labor," October 1986 General Conference

Work is something more than the final end result. It is a discipline. We must learn to do, and do well, before we can expect to receive tangible rewards for our labors. My father must have known that if he focused on the outcome of my labors, he would only become frustrated with how inadequately I did things then. So he found tasks that were difficult and would challenge me, to teach me the discipline of hard work.
-Elder L. Tom Perry, "The Joy of Honest Labor," October 1986 General Conference

So grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. It is not a finishing touch; it is the Finisher’s touch (see Hebrews 12:2).
- “His Grace Is Sufficient,” Brad Wilcox, 12 July 2011, BYU speeches

“When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No.
Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives.”
- “His Grace Is Sufficient,” Brad Wilcox, 12 July 2011, BYU speeches

Second, repentance means striving to change. It would mock the Savior’s suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross for us to expect that He should transform us into angelic beings with no real effort on our part. Rather, we seek His grace to complement and reward our most diligent efforts (see 2 Nephi 25:23). Perhaps as much as praying for mercy, we should pray for time and opportunity to work and strive and overcome. Surely the Lord smiles upon one who desires to come to judgment worthily, who resolutely labors day by day to replace weakness with strength. Real repentance, real change may require repeated attempts, but there is something refining and holy in such striving. Divine forgiveness and healing flow quite naturally to such a soul, for indeed “virtue loveth virtue; light cleaveth unto light; [and] mercy hath compassion on mercy and claimeth her own” (D&C 88:40).
-Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Divine Gift of Repentance," October 2011 General Conference

“We know that justification [or forgiveness of sins] through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true;

“And we know also, that sanctification [or purification from the effects of sin] through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true, to all those who love and serve God with all their mights, minds, and strength” (D&C 20:30–31).

-Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Divine Gift of Repentance," October 2011 General Conference

It was understood from the beginning that in mortality we would fall short of being perfect. It was not expected that we would live without transgressing one law or another.”
... 
A Mediator, a Redeemer, was chosen, one who would live His life perfectly, commit no sin, and offer “himself a sacrifice for sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.”4
-President Boyd K. Packer, “The Atonement,” October 2012 General Conference

Elder Dallin H. Oaks has said, referring to President Spencer W. Kimball’s explanation, “The repenting sinner must suffer for his sins, but this suffering has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change” (The Lord’s Way [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1991], 223; emphasis in original).
-Brad Wilcox, "His Grace is Sufficient," BYU Devotional, July 12, 2011 http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966&tid=7

Elder Bruce C. Hafen has written, “The great Mediator asks for our repentance not because we must ‘repay’ him in exchange for his paying our debt to justice, but because repentance initiates a developmental process that, with the Savior’s help, leads us along the path to a saintly character” (The Broken Heart [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989], 149; emphasis in original).
-Brad Wilcox, "His Grace is Sufficient," BYU Devotional, July 12, 2011

But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy. ⁴ Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness.
-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Happiness, Your Heritage," October 2008 General Conference

“This is the day which the Lord hath made … ,” the Psalmist wrote. “Rejoice and be glad in it.”⁶

Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it.

-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "Of Regrets and Resolutions," October 2012 General Conference

The constancy of her daily life is teaching him the way of truth and light.
-Elder Bruce C. Hafen, "Your Longing for Family Joy," Ensign, October 2003

We give our lives, even an hour at a time, for what we believe, what we value, and whom we love. 
-Elder Bruce C. Hafen, "Your Longing for Family Joy, " Ensign, October 2003

Family life is by its nature a continual struggle between the ideal and the real. But if your home often knows warm feelings of love and laughter, if your family is trying—even most of the time—to have family prayer, home evening, and honestly shared gospel experiences, you are learning the pattern for happiness.
-Elder Bruce C. Hafen, "Your Longing for Family Joy," Ensign, October 2003

Rather than dwelling on the past, we should make the most of today, of the here and now, doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future.
-President Thomas S. Monson, “Finding Joy in the Journey,” October 2008 General Conference

Let us relish life as we live it, find joy in the journey, and share our love with friends and family.
-President Thomas S. Monson, “Finding Joy in the Journey,” October 2008 General Conference

And finally, in all of living have much of fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.
-President Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand True and Faithful,” April 1996 General Conference

If I can be right before my Father in Heaven, perhaps His guidance to our children can be unimpeded. 
^{-Personal correspondence quoted by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Because She is a Mother," April 1997 General Conference}

Most of us have had some experience with self-improvement efforts. My experience has taught me this about how people and organizations improve: the best place to look is for small changes we could make in things we do often. There is power in steadiness and repetition. And if we can be led by inspiration to choose the right small things to change, consistent obedience will bring great improvement.
-Elder Henry B. Eyring, “The Lord Will Multiply the Harvest” [an evening with Elder Henry B. Eyring, Feb. 6, 1998], 3