By Common Consent, a Mormon Blog

37 Responses to “Favorite Quotes from Conference”

1. heartensoul4u Says:
   October 4, 2009 at 3:58 pm

   I have many but . . .

   “The joys come from putting the welfare of others above our own. That is what love is. And the sorrow comes primarily from selfishness, which is the absence of love.” (Henry B. Eyring)

   Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil. (Boyd K. Packer)

   There are many others . . .
2. DKL Says:
   October 4, 2009 at 4:06 pm

   I liked it when Elder Oaks said, “Jesus may not have been a kind man, and His teachings may not have been perfect, but He healed people and the New Testament makes people feel pretty nice inside when it’s not being used to justify their subjugation or persecution, and that’s good enough for me!”
3. J. Stapley Says:
   October 4, 2009 at 4:07 pm

   I was curious about the “thick of thin things” quote. The earliest references I found were in 1971. Both attribute it as an anonymous saying. One is documented in a Conference sermon of Theodore Tuttle. The other from the same year is an unattributed use by Ashley Montagu that same year.

   I love the priesthood session. No particular quotes. But Ballard’s focus on relationships and communication was very important. And I loved President Eyring’s invocation of ritual purity and preparation. I also very much enjoyed Elder Packers sermon, elsewhere.
4. Aaron Brown Says:
   October 4, 2009 at 4:29 pm

   In the spirit of full disclosure, DKL, you should acknowledge that Oaks didn’t really “say” that, but he did blink it in Morse Code with his eyes.
5. smb Says:
   October 4, 2009 at 5:03 pm

   thick of thin things is much older than that. It seems to be widely attributed to Edith Wharton, who apparently described a character as living in “the thick of thin things.”

   However, I’m not able to identify the Wharton book in which this was used, just widespread attributions starting in the 1940s.
6. J. Stapley Says:
   October 4, 2009 at 5:19 pm

   Ah, yes. I was just looking for the sentence, “Too often we are involved in the thick of thin things.”
7. Margaret Blair Young Says:
   October 4, 2009 at 5:21 pm

   Priesthood session: My nephew, a BYU student, was with my dad. Right after Elder Ballard’s talk, my nephew’s cell phone rang. It was his dad. “Hi son,” he said. “I just thought I needed to talk to you.” Totally true.
8. CS Eric Says:
   October 4, 2009 at 5:22 pm

   My favorite: Elder Eyring in Priesthood, “I have a desk.”
9. Christopher Says:
   October 4, 2009 at 5:31 pm

   The quote “No wicked man could write it, no good man would write it unless commanded of God” comes from Elder Holland’s great-grandfather, George Q. Cannon.
10. SC Taysom Says:
    October 4, 2009 at 5:38 pm

    I didn’t know that Elder Holland was a descendant of George Cannon (George Q’s father). He must be though, because GC is the sourse of that quote about the Book of Mormon.
11. SC Taysom Says:
    October 4, 2009 at 5:38 pm

    Sorry Chris, I missed your comment
12. Neal Davis Says:
    October 4, 2009 at 6:50 pm

    I loved the subtle reference of Elder Uchtdorf’s “Love … is the altitude of our discipleship” Saturday morning.
13. britt Says:
    October 4, 2009 at 6:59 pm

    I liked this from Elder Uchtdorf . “One person’s good idea, something that may work for him or her, takes root and becomes an expectation and gradually eternal principles can get lost within the labyrinth of good ideas.”
14. Latter-day Guy Says:
    October 4, 2009 at 7:13 pm

    I loved Uchtdorf’s “…ointment for Zorro…” I smiled all night. (In all seriousness, I am glad Elder Bednar almost smiled this time, but Holland still wins in the doctrinal smackdown category!)
15. Jason Says:
    October 4, 2009 at 7:27 pm

    President Uchtdorf:
    “Retirement is not part of the Lord’s great plan of happiness.”
16. Neal Kramer Says:
    October 4, 2009 at 7:29 pm

    My favorite quote:

    Elder Holland:

    “frankly pathetic” describing alternative explanations of the BoM’s origins.

    Elder Packer’s talk was tender and beautiful, especially in his testimony of Pres. Monson. Their embrace after the meeting touched my soul very deeply. Sometimes I forget how much I really love them, I guess.

    Pres. Monson’s talk in priesthood meeting was spot on and very needed. The contrasting stories of outcomes for little children in Pres. Eyring’s talk and then Pres. Monson’s could not have been more stark.

    Again, the Seventies from outside the United States have thrilling wisdom to offer. Their view of the restored gospel and the necessity of the Church offers us much needed perspective, especially out here in the Mormon corridor.

    The talks by Elders Oaks and Christofferson deserve to be very carefully read. Perhaps more on that in a later post.

    This was an intellectually demanding and spiritually profound conference, from beginning to end. We learned a lot about how to follow Jesus Christ, our Advocate, our Lord, and our Redeemer.
17. David G. Says:
    October 4, 2009 at 8:00 pm

    Pres. Uchtdorf, Priesthood Session: “Education is not just a good idea; it is a commandment.”
18. Peter LLC Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 3:57 am

    I’m gonna have to go with Choi’s “rowdy boys,” spoken with all the sincere concern of a Korean parent.
19. Rico Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 4:59 am

    I think there should a favourite visual image thread… my vote is also for the rowdy boys, early years photo.
20. SC Taysom Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 5:19 am

    Paraphrase from President DFU at the priesthood session: we shouldn’t focus on creating earthly anchors at the expense of building celestial wings.
21. Bro. Jones Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 5:20 am

    #7 I think that’s my favorite conference quote. :) We’re expecting our first child, and I’ve got parenting on the brain. It was cool to hear such a concrete suggestion on s family topic, rather than “Family is good and it’d even better than sin!”
22. rp Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 7:44 am

    I was moved by Elder Choi’s talk (priesthood session).
23. Hunter Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 8:18 am

    I loved President Uchdorf’s paraphrase of the saying that education is about lighting a fire, not just filling a mind.
24. Stephanie Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 8:55 am

    How come all the best quotes are always from Priesthood?!?!
25. kevinf Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 9:06 am

    Quentin L. Cook quoting Neal Maxwell quoting Edith Wharton: “I cannot supply all the demands my heart responds to.”

    And Elder Holland: “..and like them, I lie not.”

    Finally, Neal Andersen: “Repentance is like swimming upstream, or running against the wind.”
26. Cam Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 9:38 am

    President Uchtdorf: “Love is truly the defining characteristic of a disciple of Christ.”
27. Martin Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 10:13 am

    Elder Choi’s talk (in Priesthood Session) was very powerful to me because where I work, we’ve had a lot of interaction with Koreans and there’s been some bad feelings.

    To hear him speak in that oh-so-critical-Korean way and feel the Holy Ghost so strongly was wonderful, and helped me repair a deficiency in my heart I didn’t even know I had. Sometimes I just love conference.
28. brandt Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    Mark mine for Elder Choi’s talk. As an RM from Daejeon, Korea, there were many subtle things in his talk that came through to those who know the culture.

    The “rowdy” he was referring to, in Korean, conveys more of a feeling of “disrespect,” “bad,” “fighting,” but an overall negative feeling. Thus, in my mind, these were “bad” kids.

    Second, the pictures were great representations of them. Going from “tough-guys” trying to pose to smiling happy men showed a great change (and Korean men don’t smile. Period.)

    Finally, seeing Elder Choi get choked up, in Korean culture, is astounding. He’s a man, and men are not supposed to show emotions. And for a man like Elder Choi to use the world “Love” as well is very taboo in Korean culture.

    A+ for Elder Choi. That, and I loved hearing his accent.
29. Clayton Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    President Monson during priesthood session (paraphrased):

    Anger solves nothing; does not build anything; and destroys everything
30. Jennifer Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 4:15 pm

    “Intelligent use of agency requires knowledge of the truth.” I think that was President Monson, but it was towards the end of the Sunday afternoon session.
31. Leeann Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 5:29 pm

    #25 Quentin L. Cook quoting Neal Maxwell quoting Edith Wharton: “I cannot supply all the demands my heart responds to.” The quote you are referring to is by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and yes Elder Maxwell credited her correctly.
32. Terry Says:
    October 5, 2009 at 6:30 pm

    Elder Holland’s powerful statement about those who leave the church: “They must do so by crawling over or around or under The Book of Mormon to make their exit.” It recalls my crisis of faith of exactly one year ago–and one of the chief factors that kept me in the Church.
33. AlexG Says:
    October 6, 2009 at 2:35 am

    Anne M Dibb said something along these lines “there were four dead and seven wounded… the part of the article that I really liked…” I almost busted out laughing!
34. Michael Says:
    October 6, 2009 at 7:31 am

    AlexG – My ten-year-old daughter picked up on that one too. Seemed ironic that she was talking about death and disaster with a huge smile on her face and while using her very best Primary President voice.

    And yes, the Priesthood session has the best quotes. But, you can now download the MP3s legally at lds.org. I’ve had friends who “hacked” the URLs for years, but recently they’ve started putting them up. Which is good. That same 10 year old daughter I mentioned earlier has had some of her best spiritual experiences while listening to bootleg conference talks in the truck with me.
35. Ziff Says:
    October 6, 2009 at 9:20 pm

    Bro. Jones (#21) We’re expecting our first child, and I’ve got parenting on the brain.

    Congratulations, Bro. Jones! I consistently enjoy your comments and I’m happy to hear you’re going to be a dad.
36. Andrew Ainsworth Says:
    October 7, 2009 at 2:30 am

    I just posted at Mormon Matters my explanation of why, after careful examination of Elder Holland’s address last Sunday, I believe he was not denouncing the Inspired Fiction theory of the Book of Mormon, but rather, was carefully avoiding it.

    http://mormonmatters.org/2009/10/07/did … on-theory/
37. Sista Laurel Says:
    October 9, 2009 at 1:38 pm

    I too loved Elder Perry’s quote on reviewing lessons of the past, it was an excellent talk.

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