David A. Bednar Quotes

#1. The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests.

David A. Bednar

#2. The saving ordinance of baptism must be administered by one who has proper authority from God.

David A. Bednar

#3. We are in the school [or mortality] and keep learning and we do not expect to cease learning while we live on earth; and when we pass through the veil, we expect still to continue to learn and increase our fund of information.

David A. Bednar

#4. Faithful parents can invite the power of heaven to influence their children. Nevertheless, those children remain agents unto themselves, and the choice to repent or not ultimately is theirs.

David A. Bednar

#5. People of integrity and honesty not only practice what they preach, they are what they preach.

David A. Bednar

#6. Righteous marriage is a commandment and an essential step in the process of creating a loving family relationship that can be perpetuated beyond the grave.

David A. Bednar

#7. Interestingly, simple and ordinary experiences often provide the most important learning opportunities we ever have.

David A. Bednar

#8. Inviting children as gospel learners to act and not merely be acted upon builds on reading and talking about the Book of Mormon and bearing testimony spontaneously in the home.

David A. Bednar

#9. Our sincere desire should be to have both clean hands and a pure heart - both a remission of sins from day to day and to walk guiltless before God.

David A. Bednar

#10. The Savior is the perfect example of praying for others with real intent. In His great Intercessory Prayer uttered on the night before His Crucifixion, Jesus prayed for His Apostles and all of the Saints.

David A. Bednar

#11. We will not attain a state of perfection in this life, but we can and should press forward with faith in Christ along the strait and narrow path and make steady progress toward our eternal destiny.

David A. Bednar

#12. As we learn in [the] scriptures, the fundamental purposes for the gift of agency were to love one another and to choose God. Thus we become God's chosen and invite His tender mercies as we use our agency to choose God.

David A. Bednar

#13. Worldly influences would hinder use of our agency afforded through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. But we are agents who can act, and that affects everything in terms of how we live the gospel in our daily lives. It affects how we pray, how we study the scriptures, how we worship at church.

David A. Bednar

#14. Satan does not have a body, and his eternal progress has been halted. Just as water flowing in a riverbed is stopped by a dam, so the adversary's eternal progress is thwarted because he does not have a physical body.

David A. Bednar

#15. As we gain experience with the Holy Ghost, we learn that the intensity with which we feel the Spirit's influence is not always the same.

David A. Bednar

#16. I will go where the Lord and the leaders of His Church want me to go, I will do what they want me to do, I will teach what they want me to teach, and I will strive to become what I should and must become.

David A. Bednar

#17. Disciples who are steadfast and immovable do not become fanatics or extremists, are not overzealous, and are not preoccupied with misguided gospel hobbies.

David A. Bednar

#18. Revelation is communication from God to His children on the earth and one of the great blessings associated with the gift and constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.

David A. Bednar

#19. One of the greatest indicators of our own spiritual maturity is revealed in how we respond to the weaknesses, the inexperience, and the potentially offensive actions of others.

David A. Bednar

#20. Feeling the security and constancy of love from a spouse, a parent or a child is a rich blessing. Such love nurtures and sustains faith in God. Such love is a source of strength and casts out fear. Such love is the desire of every human soul.

David A. Bednar

#21. You and I, today and always, are to bear witness of Jesus Christ and declare the message of the Restoration ... Missionary work is a manifestation of our spiritual identity and heritage.

David A. Bednar

#22. Steady, sustained, and incremental spiritual progress produces the fruit of steadfastness-and helps us to reduce the disparity between what we know and what we do. Testimony is strengthened and conversion unto the Lord is deepened through small and simple things done well over time.

David A. Bednar

#23. If today you are a little bit better than you were yesterday, then that's enough. And, if tomorrow you are a little bit better than you were today, then that's enough.

David A. Bednar

#24. Faithfully obeying God's commandments is essential to receiving the Holy Ghost. We are reminded of this truth each week as we listen to the sacrament prayers and worthily partake of the bread and water.

David A. Bednar

#25. The Savior knows people by name, He knows their circumstances, and He directs us in our work to bless the lives of individuals.

David A. Bednar

#26. The Lord's authorized servants repeatedly teach that one of the principal purposes of our mortal existence is to be spiritually changed and transformed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

David A. Bednar

#27. Revelations are conveyed in a variety of ways, including, for example, dreams, visions, conversations with heavenly messengers, and inspiration. Some revelations are received immediately and intensely; some are recognized gradually and subtly.

David A. Bednar

#28. Within the walls of our own homes, we can and should bear pure testimony of the divinity and reality of the Father and the Son, of the great plan of happiness, and of the Restoration.

David A. Bednar

#29. The ancient Apostles were common men, and that was part of their credential.

David A. Bednar

#30. We can begin to become more diligent and concerned at home by telling the people we love that we love them. Such expressions do not need to be flowery or lengthy. We simply should sincerely and frequently express love.

David A. Bednar

#31. Giving a man a fish feeds him for one meal. Teaching a man to fish feeds him for a lifetime. As parents and gospel instructors, you and I are not in the business of distributing fish; rather, our work is to help our children learn 'to fish.'

David A. Bednar

#32. Regardless of our age, experience, or station in life, we are all missionaries.

David A. Bednar

#33. Sometimes we overcomplicate living the gospel.

David A. Bednar

#34. Grace is the divine assistance or heavenly help each of us desperately needs to qualify for the celestial kingdom. Thus, the enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and to serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity.

David A. Bednar

#35. Every sincere prayer is heard and answered by our Heavenly Father, but the answers we receive may not be what we expect or come to us when we want or in the way we anticipate.

David A. Bednar

#36. As we fear God more completely, we love Him more perfectly. And 'perfect love casteth out all fear'.

David A. Bednar

#37. When we are baptized and confirmed, the promised blessing is that we may always have the Holy Ghost to be with us. If you are consistently good, you will have the companionship of the Holy Ghost much of the time.

David A. Bednar

#38. Would the Lord send one of the Twelve Apostles halfway around the world to help just one person? The answer is YES. He does it all the time.

David A. Bednar

#39. The revelations of the Father and the Son are conveyed through the third member of the Godhead, even the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is the witness of and messenger for the Father and the Son.

David A. Bednar

#40. Strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives, even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted.

David A. Bednar

#41. Understanding who we are, where we came from, and why we are upon the earth places upon each of us a great responsibility both to learn how to learn and to learn to love learning.

David A. Bednar

#42. Obedience to the law of chastity will increase our happiness in mortality and make possible our progress in eternity.

David A. Bednar

#43. Righteousness and faith certainly are instrumental in moving mountains - if moving mountains accomplishes God's purposes and is in accordance with His will.

David A. Bednar

#44. A covenant is an agreement between God and His children upon the earth, and it is important to understand that God determines the conditions of all gospel covenants.

David A. Bednar

#45. True faith is focused in and on the Lord Jesus Christ and always leads to action.

David A. Bednar

#46. Baptism by water leads to the authorized opportunity for the constant companionship of the third member of the Godhead.

David A. Bednar

#47. Missionary work essentially is a priesthood responsibility, and all of us who hold the priesthood are the Lord's authorized servants on the earth and are missionaries at all times and in all places - and we always will be.

David A. Bednar

#48. Learning by faith and from experience are two of the central features of the Father's plan of happiness. The Savior preserved moral agency through the Atonement and made it possible for us to act and to learn by faith.

David A. Bednar

#49. We should remember that bearing a heartfelt testimony is only a beginning. We need to bear testimony, we need to mean it, and most importantly we need consistently to live it. We need to both declare and live our testimonies.

David A. Bednar

#50. A pattern is a guide or a model. Patterns are used in sewing and knitting, in wood and metalworking, and in a wide variety of other productive pursuits, activities, and jobs. Patterns help to avoid waste and unwanted deviations and facilitate uniformity that is appropriate and beneficial.

David A. Bednar

#51. The temple is a point of intersection between heaven and earth. In this sacred place, holy work will be performed through selfless service and love. The temple reminds [us] of all that is good and beautiful in the world.

David A. Bednar

#52. It frankly does not make sense to occasionally 'fill up' with water, with long periods of dehydration in between. The same thing is true spiritually. Spiritual thirst is a need for living water. A constant flow of living water is far superior to sporadic sipping.

David A. Bednar

#53. The object of our prayers should not be to present a wish list or a series of requests but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is eager to bestow, according to His will and timing.

David A. Bednar

#54. Be careful to not haul around in our lives so many nice but unnecessary things that we are distracted and diverted from the things that truly matter most.

David A. Bednar

#55. Priesthood is the means whereby the Lord acts through men to save souls. One of the defining features of the Church of Jesus Christ, both anciently and today, is His authority. There can be no true Church without divine authority.

David A. Bednar

#56. The basic principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ are simple, and they are universal. Faith in the Savior is the same in Boston as it is in Accra.

David A. Bednar

#57. The Book of Mormon is our handbook of instructions as we travel the pathway from bad to good to better and strive to have our hearts changed.

David A. Bednar

#58. I now extend to you the invitation to help transform the trickle into a flood ... .I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth - messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy - and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood.

David A. Bednar

#59. If all opposition were curtailed, if all maladies were removed, then the primary purposes of the Father's plan would be frustrated.

David A. Bednar

#60. Testimony is personal knowledge, based upon the witness of the Holy Ghost, that certain facts of eternal significance are true.

David A. Bednar

#61. The gospel messages you share will be accepted more readily if your Christlike example is evident in the ongoing pattern of your posts.

David A. Bednar

#62. Often as we teach and testify about the law of tithing, we emphasize the immediate, dramatic and readily recognizable temporal blessings that we receive. And surely such blessings do occur. Yet some of the diverse blessings we obtain as we are obedient to this commandment are significant but subtle.

David A. Bednar

#63. Devoted disciples of Jesus Christ always have been and always will be valiant missionaries. A missionary is a follower of Christ who testifies of Him as the Redeemer and proclaims the truths of His gospel.

David A. Bednar

#64. The Lord knows who we really are, what we really think, what we really do, and who we really are becoming.

David A. Bednar

#65. Let me recommend that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation with all the energy of our hearts.

David A. Bednar

#66. I believe the best test of our integrity and honesty is when we personally enforce in our own lives that which ultimately cannot be enforced.

David A. Bednar

#67. Conversion is an enlarging, a deepening, and a broadening of the undergirding base of testimony. It is the result of revelation from God, accompanied by individual repentance, obedience, and diligence.

David A. Bednar

#68. I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord's timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them.

David A. Bednar

#69. Ordinary men are given the authority of the priesthood. Worthiness and willingness - not experience, expertise, or education - are the qualifications for priesthood ordination.

David A. Bednar

#70. Pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances rather than praying for our circumstances to be changed

David A. Bednar

#71. As we become more spiritually mature and increasingly steadfast and immovable, we focus upon and strive to understand the fundamental and foundational doctrines of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

David A. Bednar

#72. By divine design, men and women are intended to progress together toward perfection and a fulness of glory. Because of their distinctive temperaments and capacities, males and females each bring to a marriage relationship unique perspectives and experiences.

David A. Bednar

#73. Sincere desire and worthiness invite the spirit of revelation into our lives.

David A. Bednar

#74. An Apostle is a missionary, bearing testimony of the reality and divinity of Jesus Christ in all the world.

David A. Bednar

#75. Sturdy gospel roots that go deep into rich spiritual soil strengthen and steady us in times of trial and difficulty.

David A. Bednar

#76. Total immersion in and saturation with the Savior's gospel are essential steps in the process of being born again.

David A. Bednar

#77. Just as the unique characteristics of both males and females contribute to the completeness of a marriage relationship, so those same characteristics are vital to the rearing, nurturing, and teaching of children.

David A. Bednar

#78. We are not, and never need be, alone.

David A. Bednar

#79. Conversion is an offering of self, of love, and of loyalty we give to God in gratitude for the gift of testimony.

David A. Bednar

#80. Asking in faith requires honesty, effort, commitment, and persistence.

David A. Bednar

#81. The Savior has suffered not just for our iniquities but also for the inequality, the unfairness, the pain, the anguish, and the emotional distresses that so frequently beset us.

David A. Bednar

#82. Within the sound of my voice are many young women, young men, and children. I plead with you to be worthy, to be steadfast, and to look forward with great anticipation to the day you will receive the ordinances and blessings of the temple.

David A. Bednar

#83. The power of procreation is spiritually significant. Misuse of this power subverts the purposes of the Father's plan and of our mortal existence. Our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son are creators and have entrusted each of us with a portion of Their creative power.

David A. Bednar

#84. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.

David A. Bednar

#85. Many of the lessons we are to learn in mortality can only be received through the things we experience and sometimes suffer. And God expects and trusts us to face temporary mortal adversity with His help so we can learn what we need to learn and ultimately become what we are to become in eternity.

David A. Bednar

#86. The responsibility to seek learning by faith rests upon each of us individually, and this obligation will become increasingly important as the world in which we live grows more confused and troubled.

David A. Bednar

#87. I witness the reality and divinity of our Eternal Father, of His Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Ghost. I testify that our Father hears and answers our prayers. May each of us strive with greater resolve to ask in faith and thereby make our prayers truly meaningful.

David A. Bednar

#88. Ordinary people who faithfully, diligently, and consistently do simple things that are right before God will bring forth extraordinary results.

David A. Bednar

#89. Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all of our doings, as we express heartfelt gratitude, and as we pray for others.

David A. Bednar

#90. If something we think, see, hear, or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing, hearing, or doing that thing. If that which is intended to entertain, for example, alienates us from the Holy Spirit, then certainly that type of entertainment is not for us.

David A. Bednar

#91. The infinite Atonement is for both the sinner and for the saint in each of us.

David A. Bednar

#92. Knowing that the gospel is true is the essence of a testimony. Consistently being true to the gospel is the essence of conversion.

David A. Bednar

#93. Remember that becoming people of integrity and honesty is not simply a matter of more personal determination, more grit, and more willpower; rather, it is accomplished through the enabling power of the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.

David A. Bednar

#94. The ordinance of confirming a new member of the Church and bestowing the gift of the Holy Ghost is both simple and profound.

David A. Bednar

#95. Proclaiming the gospel is not an activity in which we periodically and temporarily engage.

David A. Bednar

#96. A spiritual 'spurter' is one who is given to short bursts of spectacular effort followed by frequent and lengthy periods of rest.

David A. Bednar

#97. In the strength of the Lord we can do and endure and overcome all things.

David A. Bednar

#98. The knowledge and spiritual conviction we receive from the Holy Ghost are the result of revelation.

David A. Bednar

#99. Repentance is the sweet fruit that comes from faith in the Savior and involves turning toward God and away from sin.

David A. Bednar

#100. The Father's plan is designed to provide direction for His children, to help them become happy, and to bring them safely home to Him with resurrected, exalted bodies. Heavenly Father desires us to be together in the light and filled with hope.

David A. Bednar