On God and Government
Therefore, every man who takes on a responsibility by virtue of assuming office in worldly government, is responsible to the Lord himself for the way in which he carries it out. (General Conference, April 1935)
On the Constitution
To me, my brethren and sisters, that statement of the Lord, “I have established the Constitution of this land,” puts the Constitution of the United States in the position in which it would be if it were written in this book of Doctrine and Covenants itself. This makes the Constitution the word of the Lord to us. That it was given, not by oral utterance, but by the operation of his mind and spirit upon the minds of men, inspiring them to the working out of this great document of human government, does not alter its authority. (Id.)
“Your fathers gave us liberty. Our vigilance must preserve it.” (To the Sons of the American Revolution)
“There has not been another such group of men [the authors of the constitution] in all our history that even challenged the supremacy of this group. It is the union of independence and dependence of these branches — legislative, executive and judicial — and of the governmental functions possessed by each of them, that constitutes the marvelous genius of this unrivaled document. … It was here that divine inspiration came. It was truly a miracle.” Yarn 1973, pp. 135-138
On Life-long Learning
“My rule now is, never read anything that is not worth remembering.”
On Christ, our Savior
“But there is one whom you do not deceive, and that is Christ, our Lord. He knows all. Personally, I have felt that nobody need keep much of a record about me, except what I keep myself in my mind, which is a part of my spirit. I often question in my mind, whether it is going to require very many witnesses in addition to my own wrongdoing.”
On America
“You have the highest of human trusts committed to your care. Providence has showered on this favored land blessings without number, and has chosen you as the guardians of freedom. The preserve it for the benefot of the human race. May He who holds in his hands the destinies of nations, make you worthy of the favors He has bestowed, ans enabled you with pure hearts and hands and sleepless vigilance, to guard and defend to the end of time, the great charge he has committed to your keeping.”
On Communism
“I have been preaching against Communism for twenty years. I still warn you against it, and I tell you that we are drifting toward it more rapidly than some of us understand, and I tell you that when Communism comes the ownership of the things which are necessary to feed your families is going to be taken away from us. I tell you freedom of speech will go, freedom of the press will go, and freedom of religion will go. I have warned you against propaganda and hate. We are in the midst of the greatest exhibition of propaganda that the world has ever seen. Just do not believe all you read or hear. The elect are being deceived.” [CR Oct 1941]
On Serving the Lord
“In the service of the Lord it is not where but how you serve.”
On Debt
“Once in debt, interest is your companion every minute of the day and night; you cannot shun it or slip away from it; you cannot dismiss it; it yields neither to entreaties, demands, or orders; and whenever you get in its way or cross its course or fail to meet its demands, it crushes you.” [1938]