“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.”
“You can offer the Lord the gift of your broken, or repentant, heart and your contrite, or obedient, spirit. In reality, it is the gift of yourself—what you are and what you are becoming. “Is there something in you or in your life that is impure or unworthy? When you get rid of it, that is a gift to the Savior. Is there a good habit or quality that is lacking in your life? When you adopt it and make it part of your character, you are giving a gift to the Lord”
If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness… ...Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others.
Character approved of God is worth securing, even at the expense of a lifetime of constant self-denial.
Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.