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A few years ago, I started reading all the General Conference talks and pulling out my favourite parts. I compile that into a document that I read sections of each morning as part of my scripture study. I have found it to be a digestible way to keep General Conference on my mind throughout the year.
I won't share that entire document, but here is a list of my top quotes from each of the talks given at the October 2023 General Conference:
In the Path of Their Duty
By Elder David A. Bednar
“I am grateful for millions of Church members who today are coming unto the Savior and pressing forward on the covenant path in the last wagons of our contemporary wagon trains—and who truly are no less serviceable. Your strong faith in Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and your unpretentious, consecrated lives inspire me to be a better man and disciple. I love you. I admire you. I thank you. And I commend you.”
Abide the Day in Christ
By Sister Amy A. Wright
“Jesus Christ makes it possible for us to “abide the day.” Abiding the day does not mean adding to an ever-increasing to-do list. Think of a magnifying glass. Its sole purpose is not simply to make things appear bigger. It can also gather and focus light to make it more powerful. We need to simplify, focus our efforts, and be gatherers of the Light of Jesus Christ.”
Sir, We Would Like to See Jesus
By Elder Robert M. Daines
"If you’re ever wondering what kind of lesson to teach, what kind of meeting to plan, and whether to just give up on the deacons and play dodgeball, you might take this verse as your guide: will this help people see and love Jesus Christ? If not, maybe try something else.”
For the Sake of Your Posterity
By Elder Carlos A. Godoy
“…anything broken can be mended through Jesus Christ."
The Sealing Power
By Elder D. Todd Christofferson
“We tend to think of the sealing authority as applying only to certain temple ordinances, but that authority is necessary to make any ordinance valid and binding beyond death. The sealing power confers a seal of legitimacy upon your baptism, for example, so that it is recognized here and in heaven.”
Love Thy Neighbour
By Elder Ian S. Ardern
“Despite our every effort, you and I won’t heal everyone, but each of us can be the one who can make a difference for good in the life of someone. It was just one lad, a mere boy, who offered the five loaves and two fishes that fed the five thousand.”
Kingdoms of Glory
By President Dallin H. Oaks
“We have a loving Heavenly Father who will see that we receive every blessing and every advantage that our own desires and choices allow.”
Tithing: Opening the Windows of Heaven
By Elder Neil L. Andersen
“The spiritual power of the divine law of tithing is not measured by the amount of money contributed … The power comes from placing our trust in the Lord.”
Preserving the Voice of the Covenant People in the Rising Generation
By Brother Jan E. Newman
“To build our lives on the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ, we need to dig deep. We remove anything that is sandy or superfluous in our lives. We keep digging until we find Him.”
The Power of Jesus Christ in Our Lives Every Day
By Elder Joaquin E. Costa
"Sometimes we may think, “I need to fix my life before I come to Jesus,” but the truth is that we come to Jesus to fix our lives through Him. We don’t come to Jesus because we are perfect. We come to Him because we are flawed and in Him we can “be perfected.””
Promptings of the Spirit
By Elder Gary E. Stevenson
“…the Holy Ghost magnifies our abilities and capacities to far exceed what we can do on our own.”
Do You Want to Be Happy?
By Elder Yoon Hwan Choi
“As we yoke ourselves to Him, we can do things we couldn’t do on our own because He can do the things we cannot do for ourselves.”
God Knows and Loves You
By Elder Alan T. Phillips
“You are not an accidental by-product of nature, a cosmic orphan, or the result of matter plus time plus chance. Where there is design, there is a designer. Your life has meaning and purpose.”
How Great Will Be Your Joy
By Elder Ronald A. Rasband
“As an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, I ask you to serve as a missionary in the gathering of Israel .... We need you—we need you.”
Hallmarks of Happiness
By Elder Gary B. Sabin
“…the greatest happiness and blessing of mortality will be found in who we have become…”
Humble to Accept and Follow
By Elder Joni L. Koch
“…the command, invitation, and promise from the Lord is clear and comforting: “Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers.””
Seeing God’s Family through the Overview Lens
By Sister Tamara W. Runia
"...because of Christ, it all works out. Everything you and you and you are worried about—it’s all going to be OK! And those who look with an eye of faith can feel that it’s going to be OK now.”
Brothers and Sisters in Christ
By Elder Ulisses Soares
“As sons and daughters of the covenant, we can help to eliminate this kind of behavior by looking at the apparent differences that exist between us with the Savior’s eyes and based on what we have in common—our divine identity and kinship. … We are all fellow travelers as God’s children, equal in our imperfect state and in our ability to grow.”
Praise to the Man
By President M. Russell Ballard
“I think it’s one of the most glorious and wonderful things that anybody in this world can know—that our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ have revealed Themselves in this latter day and that Joseph has been raised up to restore the fulness of the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Walking in Covenant Relationship with Christ
By President Emily Belle Freeman
“Remember, pace or placement on the path are not as important as progress.”
Bearing Witness of Jesus Christ in Word and Actions
By Elder Adilson de Paula Parrella
“My purpose today is to remind us that we can show God that we take the name of His Son upon ourselves by bearing testimony in word and deed, as often as we can, that Jesus is the Christ.”
Be Peaceable Followers of Christ
By Elder Quentin L. Cook
“The scriptures are clear: peaceable followers of Christ who are righteous, follow the Savior, and keep His commandments will be blessed."
The Prodigal and the Road That Leads Home
By Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
“I do not pretend that coming back is an easy thing to do. I can testify of that. It may, in fact, be the toughest choice you will ever make. But I bear witness that the moment you decide to return and walk in the way of our Savior and Redeemer, His power will enter your life and transform it. Angels in heaven will rejoice. And so will we, your family in Christ. After all, we know what it’s like to be a prodigal. We all rely daily on the same atoning power of Christ. We know this path, and we will walk with you.”
More Than a Hero
By Bishop W. Christopher Waddell
“In our complex world, it can be tempting to turn to society’s heroes in an effort to provide clarity to life when it may seem confusing or overwhelming. ... Choosing the right hero has eternal consequences.”
Our Constant Companion
By President Henry B. Eyring
“If you have felt the influence of the Holy Ghost today, you may take it as a sweet evidence that the Atonement is working in your life.”
Jesus Christ Is the Treasure
By Elder Dale G. Renlund
“Paradoxically, as temples become more accessible, it may be easier for us to become more casual about temple attendance. When temples are distant, we plan our time and resources to travel to the temple to worship there. We prioritize these journeys. … Living close to a temple does bring greater flexibility in scheduling time in the temple, but that very flexibility can make it easier to take the temple for granted. When we do, we “miss the mark,” undervaluing the opportunity to draw closer to the Savior in His holy house. Our commitment to attend should be at least as strong when the temple is nearby as when it is distant.”
Eternal Truth
By Elder John C. Pingree Jr.
“Both truth and love are essential for our spiritual development. Truth provides the doctrine, principles, and laws necessary to gain eternal life, while love engenders the motivation needed to embrace and act upon what is true.”
Divine Parenting Lessons
By Elder Valeri V. Cordón
“Parents, what do we need to model for our children? Discipleship. As parents, we can teach the importance of putting God first when we discuss the first commandment, but we model it when we set aside worldly distractions and keep the Sabbath day holy every week."
The Savior’s Healing Power upon the Isles of the Sea
By Elder J. Kimo Esplin
“Temple covenants are gifts from our Heavenly Father to the faithful followers of His Son, Jesus Christ. Through the temple, our Heavenly Father binds individuals and families to the Savior and to each other. President Russell M. Nelson declared last year: “Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. … The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way.” Through temple blessings, the Savior heals individuals, families, and nations…”
Love Is Spoken Here
By Elder Gerrit W. Gong
“We live in a self-centered world. So much is “I choose me.” It is as if we believe we know best our own self-interest and how to pursue it. But ultimately it is not true. Jesus Christ personifies this powerful, ageless truth: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.””
We Are His Children
By Elder Christophe G. Giraud-Carrier
“I pray that, like Him, we may love others because that is the right thing to do, not because they are doing the right thing or fitting the “right” mold.”
Think Celestial!
By President Russell M. Nelson
“Today, to assist you to qualify for the rich blessings Heavenly Father has for you, I invite you to adopt the practice of “thinking celestial”! Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded.”
