David O. McKay Quotes - 28 quotes

quote icon “The kind of life you live, your disposition, your very nature, will be determined by your thoughts, of which your acts are but the outward expression. Thought is the seed of action. Character springs from the depths of the soul. You tell me what you think about when you do not have to think, and I’ll tell you what you are.”

- David O. McKay

quote icon When the Lord tells you what to do, you've got to have the courage to do it or you had better not ask him again.

- David O. McKay

quote icon In 1966, President David O. McKay prophesied scientific discoveries that “stagger the imagination” would make possible the preaching of the gospel to every kindred, tongue, and people. And further: “Discoveries latent with such potent power, either for the blessing or the destruction of human beings as to make men’s responsibility in controlling them the most gigantic ever placed in human hands. … This age is fraught with limitless perils, as well as untold possibilities.”

- David O. McKay

quote icon Children are more influenced by sermons you act than by sermons you preach.

- David O. McKay

quote icon What is the crowning glory of man in this earth so far as his individual achievement is concerned? It is character—character developed through obedience to the laws of life as revealed through the gospel of Jesus Christ, who came that we might have life and have it more abundantly [see John 10:10]. Man’s chief concern in life should not be the acquiring of gold nor fame nor material possessions. It should not be the development of physical prowess nor of intellectual strength, but his aim, the highest in life, should be the development of a Christ like character.

- David O. McKay

quote icon To the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the worth of the individual has special meaning. Quorums, auxiliaries, wards, stakes, even the Church itself, are all organized to further the welfare of man. All are but a means to an end, and that end is the happiness and eternal value of every child of God.

- David O. McKay

quote icon President McKay referred to Zion as the pure in heart and said: “… the strength of this Church lies in the purity of the thoughts and lives of its members, then the testimony of Jesus abides in the soul, and strength comes to each individual to withstand the evils of the world.”

- David O. McKay

quote icon Purity of heart! Zion is the pure in heart (D&C 97:21) we have been told, and the strength of this Church lies in the purity of the thoughts and lives of its members.

- David O. McKay

quote icon No other success can compensate for failure in the home.

- David O. McKay

quote icon “It is a little dangerous for us to go out of our own sphere and try unauthoritatively to direct the efforts of a brother. You remember the case of Uzzah who stretched forth his hand to steady the ark. He seemed justified when the oxen stumbled in putting forth his hand to steady that symbol of the covenant. We today think his punishment was very severe. Be that as it may, the incident conveys a lesson of life. Let us look around us and see how quickly men who attempt unauthoritatively to steady the ark die spiritually. Their souls become embittered, their minds distorted, their judgment faulty, and their spirit depressed. Such is the pitiable condition of men who, neglecting their own responsibilities, spend their time in finding fault with others.”

- David O. McKay

quote icon This question of divine authority is one of the important factors which distinguish the Church of Jesus Christ from the Protestant creeds of Christendom. In plain, unmistakable terms, the Church declares that “a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands, by those who are in authority to preach the gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.” In this declaration, the Church but reiterates the words of one who bore Christ’s authority in the meridian of time, and who, in writing upon this very question, said, “And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” (Hebrews 5:4)

- David O. McKay

quote icon President David O. McKay (1873–1970) declared that meditation—“deep, continued reflection on some religious theme”—is “one of the … most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord.”2 By slowing down, we can open a door to revelation. We can transcend the world’s pervasive ideals and connect with the divine. We need that door. We need to slow down.

- David O. McKay

quote icon It is easy enough to be virtuous, When nothing tempts you to stray, When without or within no voice of sin Is luring your soul away! But it’s only a negative virtue Until it is tried by fire, And the life that is worth honor on earth Is the one that resists desire. By the cynic, the sad, the fallen, Who had no strength for the strife, The world’s highway is cumbered today. They make up the sum of life. But the virtue that conquers passion, And the sorrow that hides in a smile, It is these that are worth the homage on earth For we find them but once in a while.

- David O. McKay

quote icon The position of this Church on the subject of Communism has never changed. We consider it the greatest satanical threat to peace, prosperity, and the spread of God’s work among men that exists on the face of the earth.

- David O. McKay

quote icon 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.

- David O. McKay

quote icon In June of 1965, a group of brethren in the Physical Facilities Department of the Church was doing some work outside the Hotel Utah apartment of President David O. McKay. As President McKay stopped to explain to them the importance of the work in which they were engaged, he paused and told them the following: "Let me assure you, Brethren, that some day you will have a personal priesthood interview with the Savior, Himself. If you are interested, I will tell you the order in which He will ask you to account for your earthly responsibilities. "First, He will request an accountability report about your relationship with your wife. Have you been actively been engaged in making her happy and ensuring that her needs have been met as an individual? "Second, He will want an accountability report about each of your children individually. He will not attempt to have this for simply a family stewardship but will request information about your relationship to each and every child. "Third, He will want to know what you personally have done with the talents you were given in the pre-existence. "Fourth, He will want a summary of your activity in your Church assignments. He will not be necessarily interested in what assignments you have had, for in his eyes the home teacher and a mission president are probably equals, but He will request a summary of how you have been of service to your fellowmen in your Church assignments. "Fifth, He will have no interest in how you earned your living, but if you were honest in all your dealings. "Sixth, He will ask for an accountability on what you have done to contribute in a positive manner to your community, state, country and the world."

- David O. McKay

quote icon No other success can compensate for failure in the home.

- David O. McKay

quote icon Nothing can take the place of home in rearing and teaching children, and no other success can compensate for failure in the home.

- David O. McKay

quote icon The noblest calling in the world is motherhood. True motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all professions. She who can paint a masterpiece, or who can write a book that will influence millions, deserves the admiration and plaudits of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters, whose immortal souls will exert an influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded, and books and statues shall have decayed or have been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God.

- David O. McKay

quote icon "[Peter] wrote on one occasion:'...that we might be partakers of the divine nature.' He realized what it means to be in touch with the spiritual, to rise above the temporal, the sensual, and partake of the divine Spirit of God. "that is the purpose of making us more capable of responding to the Spirit and subduing the sensual. ... "That is why we like to have every young man and every young woman utilize his or her time intelligently, usefully, to bring the soul in harmony with the spirit, that we all might be partakers of God's Spirit, partakers of his divine nature."

- David O. McKay

quote icon There is another danger even more menacing than the threat of invasion of a foreign foe. It is the unpatriotic activities and unheralded scheming of disloyal groups and organizations within our own borders...It is the enemy from within that is most menacing, especially when it threatens to disintegrate our established form of government

- David O. McKay

quote icon You are going out to teach people the true philosophy of life, the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation. The world is longing for it.

- David O. McKay

quote icon The noblest calling in the world is motherhood. True motherhood is the most beautiful of all arts, the greatest of all professions. She who can paint a masterpiece, or who can write a book that will influence millions, deserve the plaudits and admiration of mankind; but she who rears successfully a family of healthy, beautiful sons and daughters whose immortal souls will exert influence throughout the ages long after paintings shall have faded, and books and statues shall have decayed or been destroyed, deserves the highest honor that man can give, and the choicest blessings of God.

- David O. McKay

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quote icon The home is the first and most effective place for children to learn the lessons of life: truth, honor, virtue, self-control; the value of education, honest work, and the purpose and privilege of life. Nothing can take the place of home in rearing and teaching children, and no other success can compensate for failure in the home

- David O. McKay

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quote icon President David O. McKay (1873–1970) declared that meditation—“deep, continued reflection on some religious theme”—is “one of the … most sacred doors through which we pass into the presence of the Lord.” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: David O. Mckay (2011) 31, 32

- David O. McKay

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quote icon The true purpose of life is the perfection of humanity through individual effort, under the guidance of God’s inspiration. Real-life is response to the best within us. To be alive only to appetite, pleasure, pride, money-making, and not to goodness and kindness, purity and love, poetry, music, flowers, stars, God and eternal hopes, is to deprive one’s self of the real joy of living.

- David O. McKay

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quote icon When God becomes the center of our being, we become conscious of a new aim in life—spiritual attainment. Physical possessions are no longer the chief goal in life. To indulge, nourish, and delight the body as any animal may do is no longer the chief end of mortal existence. God is not viewed from the standpoint of what we may get from him, but rather from what we may give him.

- David O. McKay

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