Marvin J. Ashton
Resentment and anger are not good for the soul. They are foul things.Collection: Soul
True love is a process. True love requires personal action.Collection: Inspirational
Peace-not passion, not personal possessions, not personal accomplishments nor happiness-is one of the greatest blessings a man can receive.Collection: Passion
Enduring, or carrying on, is not just a matter of tolerating circumstances and hanging in there, but of pressing forward.Collection: Determination
We are poor in character when we think getting by is a substitute for doing our best.Collection: Character
Sometimes when family members least deserve love, they need it the most.Collection: Deserve Love
How comfortable some of us become as we nestle in the web of procrastination. It is a false haven of rest for those who are content to live without purpose, commitment, or self-discipline.Collection: Procrastination
I am acquainted with a wife and mother who is chained securely at the present time to a life-style of murmuring and criticism. She is the first to point out faults in her husband or to repeat neighborhood gossip. How damaging is a habit that permits fault-finding, character assassination, and the sharing of malicious rumors! Gossip and caustic comments often create chains of contention. These chains may appear to be very small, but what misery and woe they can cause!Collection: Mother
I challenge youth to cooperate with parents who are concerned about your reading and your viewing. Be concerned yourself about what you take into your mind. Young people, you would never eat a meal of spoiled or contaminated food if you could help it, would you? Select your reading and viewing carefully and in good taste.Collection: Reading
There is a gift available to all of us-the gift of looking to God for direction. Here is an avenue of strength, comfort, and guidance. . . . "Look to God and live." This is the wonderful promise given so often in the scriptures. . . . Our capacity to see and comprehend is increased only in proportion to our willingness to look. God becomes more approachable as we look to him.Collection: Strength
If he could have his way, Satan would distract us from our heritage. He would have us become involved in a million and one things in this life-probably none of which is very important in the long run-to keep us from concentrating on the things that are really important, particularly the reality that we are God's children. He would like us to forget about home and family values. He'd like to keep us so busy with comparatively insignificant things that we don't have time to make the effort to understand where we came from, whose children we are, and how glorious our ultimate homecoming can be!Collection: Running
We live in a complex world. There are many forces calling out, 'Love me.' A sure way to set our guidelines for that which we choose to serve and learn to love is to follow the admonition of Joshua: 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.Collection: Love Is
One who practices pure religion soon discovers it is more rewarding to lift a man up than to hold him down.Collection: Men
Difficulties can be a valuable tool in our pursuit of perfection. Adversity need have no necessary connection with failure.Collection: Adversity
According to the dictionary, knock has two definitions: "to strike something with a sharp blow," and "to find fault with, a harsh and often petty criticism." Perhaps in human relationships both of these meanings could apply. Almost all men will respond to sincere praise and rebel at harsh and cutting criticisms.Collection: Cutting
Young people are going to go to someone, somewhere. And we had better see that that 'someone' is us when the opportunity is ours, for there will come a time when we will wish they would come, and do we know but that the interruption we now impatiently put off may be the most important thing we could be doing at this particular time?Collection: Communication
Often our self-esteem is bruised by criticism.Collection: Self Esteem
Through microscopic examination one can find in almost every life incidents or traits that can be destructive when they are magnified.Collection: Gossip
We need to remove unworthy from our vocabulary and replace it with hope and work.Collection: Hope
If you have self-respect, you will take satisfaction in being well groomed and will not allow yourself to perform shabbily. You will continue to work toward high standards and goals to serve others, to continue and to practice self-discipline. You will not compromise your standards or beliefs.Collection: Self
God's love for us is constant and will not diminish, but he cannot rescue us from the painful results that are caused by wrong choices.Collection: Love
The direction in which we are moving is more important than where we are at the moment. Goal setting should cause us to stretch as we make our way.Collection: Moving
The practice of thrift is not outdated. We must discipline ourselves to live within our incomes even if it means going without or making do. The wise person can distinguish...between basic needs and extravagant wants. Some find budgeting extremely painful, but I promise you, it is never fatal.Collection: Wise
Set your goals-without goals you cannot measure your progress. But don’t become frustrated because there are no obvious victories. Remind yourself that striving can be more important than arriving.Collection: Goal
Someone has said, “A friend is a person who is willing to take me the way I am.” Accepting this as one definition of the word, may I quickly suggest that we are something less than a real friend if we leave a person the same way we find him.Collection: Real
The family as an institution today is beset on all sides. Conflicts within the family are critical and often damaging. Contention puts heavy strain on stability, strength, peace, and unity in the home. There is certainly not time for contention in building a strong family.Collection: Strong
Progression and achievement belong to those who have learned to use the opportunity of now. Our strides of today will determine our locations tomorrow.Collection: Opportunity
Leaders on every level should be primarily interested in rendering compassionate caring for others.Collection: Caring
Peace is a blessing that comes to those who trust in God. It is established through individual righteousness. True personal peace comes about through eternal vigilance and constant righteous efforts.Collection: Blessing
God knows the feelings in every human heart. He can soften sorrow and lead when there seems to be no light. Prayer can give guidance and confidence. It reminds us that no one need be alone in this world. If all else fails, remember, God and one other person can be a family.Collection: Prayer
The discerning realize that it is not realistic to expect perfection in others when none of us is perfect...Meaningful progress can be made only when all of us can cast the motes out of our own eyes, leave judgment to our Father in Heaven, and lose ourselves in righteous living.Collection: Meaningful
We often equate charity with visiting the sick, taking in casseroles to those in need, or sharing our excess with those who are less fortunate. But really, true charity is much, much more. Real charity is not something you give away; it is something that you acquire and make a part of yourself. And when the virtue of charity becomes implanted in your heart, you are never the same again.Collection: Real
One little lie or dishonest act leads to another until the perpetrator is caught in the web of deceit.Collection: Honesty
Undoubtedly our Heavenly Father tires of expressions of love in words only. He has made it clear through his prophets and his word that his ways are ways of commitment, and not conversation. He prefers performance over lip service. We show our true love for him in proportion to our keeping his words.Collection: Father
The gospel is one of harmony, unity, and agreement. It must be presented in love, and with glad tidings, by those who are calm.Collection: Agreement
Still, small heavenly voices penetrate the heart with their gentle, convincing declarations… Most often, hope, encouragement, and direction come from a soft, piercing voice. Small voices are heard only by those who are willing to listen.Collection: Encouragement
Proper communication will always be a main ingredient for building family solidarity and permanence.Collection: Communication
A willingness to vocalize feelings. How important it is to be willing to voice one's thoughts and feelings. Yes, how important it is to be able to converse on the level of each family member. Too often we are inclined to let family members assume how we feel toward them. Often wrong conclusions are reached. Very often we could have performed better had we known how family members felt about us and what they expected.Collection: Love
The world is filled with too many of us who are inclined to indicate our love with an announcement or declaration. True love is a process. True love requires personal action. Love must be continuing to be real. Love takes time.Collection: Real
A friend in the true sense is not a person who passively nods approval of our conduct or ignores improper behavior. A friend is a person who cares.Collection: Who Cares
Ugly reports and conversations are always available to those who would promote the sordid and sensational. None of us are yet perfect. We each have failings that aren't terribly difficult to detect especially if that is the aim.Collection: Perfect
Satan is ever present, trying to destroy our glory and remove our crown. One of his most powerful tools is discouragement. Don't let your discouragement make Satan rejoice.Collection: Powerful
Straightway is a power word. Straightway is an action word. It means immediately, without delay or hesitation. It means at once. Also, it is associated with having no curve or turn-a straight course, track, or path. Procrastination would be the very opposite of straightway. To procrastinate is to put off intentionally and habitually something that should be done. Procrastination is unproductive delay.Collection: Procrastination
As children of God we are somebody. He will build us, mold us, and magnify us if we will but hold our heads up, our arms out, and walk with him.Collection: Children
A willingness to practice patience. Patience in communication is that certain ingredient of conduct we hope others will exhibit toward us when we fail to measure up. Our own patience is developed when we are patient with others.Collection: Communication
Give no time to finding fault of criticism.Collection: Giving
Once upon hearing a friend's bashing comment I said, "Did you reach that conclusion on your own, or did it come through prayer?"Collection: Friendship
There is a great need today for all mankind to heed the plea to cease to find fault one with another. Some of us are so accustomed to wearing faultfinding spectacles that we cannot see past them. We need to open our eyes and ears and look for the good and the blessings around us.Collection: Eye
Where you have been is not nearly as important as where you are and where you're going.Collection: Important