More Women, Wives, Mothers

Heber J. Grant
"Mothers Shaping the Lives of Children" ~
“Without the wonderful work of the women I realize that the Church would have been a failure. The mother in the family far more than the father, is the one who instills in the hearts of the children, a testimony and a love for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Our fathers and mothers came here in early days for the one and only thing - to serve the Lord, and to labor for the salvation of humanity; and wherever you find a woman who is devoted to this work, almost without exception you will find that her children are devoted to it.
"She shapes their lives more than the father, because he is away much more; his associations in the world take him away from the family circle; so that to our mothers we owe everything. I, of course, owe everything to my mother, because my father died when I was only nine days of age; and the marvelous teachings, the faith, the integrity of my mother have been an inspiration to me."
(Heber J. Grant, Gospel Standards, p. 151)

“The measure of your success will be the degree of honor you pay to your mothers and to motherhood.”
(Heber J. Grant, GC, Apr.1934)

“The true spirit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives to woman the highest place of honor in human life. To maintain and to merit this high dignity she must possess those virtues which have always, and which will ever, demand the respect and love of mankind … [because] ‘a beautiful and chaste woman is the perfect workmanship of God.’”
(Heber J. Grant, Improvement Era, May 1935, 276)


Gordon B. Hinckley
“People [wonder] ask what we do with our women. We get out of their way and look with wonder at what they are accomplishing.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, to the National Press Club, 2000)

“We cannot begin to measure or calculate the influence of women who, in their own ways, build stable home life and nurture for everlasting good the generations of the future.”
Gordon B. Hinckley

"Woman is God's supreme creation. Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good.
"Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, "Our Responsibility to Our Young Women," Ensign, Sept. 1988, 11)

“The greatest job that any mother will ever do will be in nurturing, teaching, lifting, encouraging and rearing her children in righteousness and truth. None other can adequately take her place. It is well-nigh impossible to be a full-time homemaker and a full-time employee.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, The Church News, 10/12/96)

“Each of you is a daughter of God. Reflect on all the wondrous meaning of that one paramount fact.
“He who is our Eternal Father has blessed you with miraculous powers of mind and body. He never intended that you should be less than the crowning glory of His creations.
“I remind you of words spoken by the Prophet Joseph to the women of the Relief Society in April of 1842. Said he: “If you live up to your privilege, the angels cannot be restrain’d from being your associates” (Relief Society Minutebook, 28 Apr. 1842, LDS Church Archives). What marvelous potential lies within you.
“Regardless of your circumstances, walk with faith. Rear your children in light and truth. Teach them to pray while they are young. Read to them from the scriptures even though they may not understand all that you read. Teach them to pay their tithes and offerings on the first money they ever receive. Let this practice become a habit in their lives. Teach your sons to honor womanhood. Teach your daughters to walk in virtue. Accept responsibility in the Church, and trust in the Lord to make you equal to any call you may receive. Your example will set a pattern for your children. Reach out in love to those in distress and need.
“Encourage your children to read more and watch television less.
“The more surely you rear your children in the ways of the gospel of Jesus Christ, with love and high expectation, the more likely that there will be peace in their lives.
“Set an example for them. That will mean more than all the teaching you can give them. Do not overindulge them. Let them grow up with respect for and understanding of the meaning of labor, of working and contributing to the home and its surroundings, with some way of earning some of their own expense money. Let your sons save for missions, and encourage them to prepare themselves, not only financially, but spiritually and in an attitude to go out to serve the Lord without selfishness of any kind. I do not hesitate to promise that if you will do so, you will have reason to count your blessings.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World,” Gen. Relief Society Mtg, Ensign, Nov. 1995)

A Prayer for Mothers" ~
"May the Lord bless you, my beloved sisters. You are the guardians of the hearth. You are the bearers of the children. You are they who nurture them and establish within them the habits of their lives. No other work reaches so close to divinity as does the nurturing of the sons and daughters of God. May you be strengthened for the challenges of the day. May you be endowed with wisdom beyond your own in dealing with the problems you constantly face. May your prayers and your pleadings be answered with blessings upon your heads and upon the heads of your loved ones. We leave with you our love and our blessing, that your lives may be filled with peace and gladness."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, "Stand Strong against the Wiles of the World," Gen RS Mtg, Sept 23, 1995; see Ensign, Nov. 1995, p. 101)

“I remind mothers everywhere of the sanctity of your calling. No other can adequately take your place. No responsibility is greater, no obligation more binding than that you rear in love and peace and integrity those whom you have brought into the world.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley,1993)

“Motherhood is near to Divinity. It is the highest, holiest service to be assumed by mankind. It places her who honors its holy calling and service next to the angels.
“I could wish for you nothing better than a good marriage, a happy marriage, a marriage fruitful in the sweet and satisfying things of life. Your marriage will not be excellent if it is marred with argument, if it is filled with disrespect one for another, if there is any lack of loyalty or devotion to one another. Cherish your spouse as the greatest possession of your life and treat him or her accordingly. Make it your constant goal to add to the happiness and comfort of your companion. Never permit yourself to let down in your affection or your respect or your faith in one another. Be excellent in every way.
“You will find your greatest example in the Son of God. I hope that each of you will make Him your friend while you are here and ever after. I hope you will strive to walk in His paths--extending mercy, blessing those who struggle, living with less selfishness, reaching out to others.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, The Quest for Excellence, BYU, 11-10-8)

“Live up to the great and magnificent inheritance which the Lord God, your Father in Heaven, has provided for you. Rise above the dust of the world. Know that you are daughters of God, children with a divine birthright. Walk in the sun with your heads high, knowing that you are loved and honored, that you are a part of His kingdom, and that there is for you a great work to be done which cannot be left to others.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, “Live Up to Your Inheritance,” Ensign, Nov 1983, 84)

Raising Children ~
"To you young women with small children, yours is a tremendous challenge. So often there is not enough money. You must scrimp and save. You must be wise and careful in your expenditures. You must be strong and bold and brave and march forward with gladness in your eye and love in your heart. . . May you be given strength to carry your heavy load, to meet every obligation, to walk side by side with a good and faithful and caring man, and together with him rear and nurture and bring up your children in righteousness and truth. Nothing else you will ever own, no worldly thing you will ever acquire will be worth so much as the love of your children. God bless you, my dear, dear young mothers."
(Gordon B. Hinckley, "To the Women of the Church," Ensign, Nov. 2003, 114)

Be Good Women, Be Good Mothers ~
“You women, be good women, be good mothers. Be kind and gracious and generous. Strengthen your children with your faith and your testimony. Lift them up. Help them to walk through the troubled ways of the world as they grow in this very difficult age. Support, sustain, uphold, and bless your husbands with your love and your encouragement; and the Lord will bless you. Even if they are not members of the Church, bless them with kindness and reach out to them every good way that you can. The chances are that they will become members of the Church before they reach the time they die. It may be a long time and you may have a lot to put up with, but if that happens, you will think it is all worth it.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, meeting, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Oct. 25, 2002)

Parental Duties ~
“Never forget that these little ones are the sons and daughters of God and that yours is a custodial relationship to them, that He was a parent before you were parents and that He has not relinquished His parental rights or interest in these His little ones. Now, love them, take care of them. Fathers, control your tempers, now and in all the years to come. Mothers, control your voices; keep them down. Rear your children in love, in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Take care of your little ones. Welcome them into your homes, and nurture and love them with all of your hearts. They may do, in the years that come, some things you would not want them to do, but be patient, be patient. You have not failed as long as you have tried. Never forget that.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Salt Lake University Third Stake conference, 3 Nov. 1996)

Great Strength of the Church ~
“What is the great strength of [this] Church? … It is the emphasis which we place on families. We live in a world where the family is falling apart. We put great emphasis on the family. Keep your families close together, and love and honor your children. Raise them in truth and faith to love the Lord.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, meeting, Reykjavík, Iceland, Sept. 11, 2002)

Cultivate Family Relationships ~
“Let us not live a life … that would bring regret. … It is not going to matter very much how much money you made, what kind of a house you lived in, what kind of a car you drove, the size of your bank account—any of those things. What is going to matter is that dear woman who has walked with you side by side as your companion through all of the years of life and those children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their faithfulness and their looking to you … with respect and love and deference and kindness. …
“The only things you will take with you, when all is said and done, are your family relationships. … God bless us to be good fathers, … good parents, and good husbands to our good wives.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, meeting, Pleasant Grove, Utah, Jan. 18, 2003)

Greater Love in Our Homes ~
“I would like to see greater love in our homes. … You parents who are fathers and mothers of children, treasure your children. Look to them with love. Lead them … with love. … They will follow after you if you do that. And I make you a promise that if you do so, the time will come when you will feel so grateful that you have done so, that you will get on your knees and thank the Lord for the precious children who have come to you and grown up under your direction.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, meeting, Port of Spain, Trinidad, May 20, 2002)

Let Us Be Latter-day Saints ~
“Let us live the gospel, my brothers and sisters. Let us as husbands treat our wives with respect and honor and dignity. Let us as wives treat our husbands with love and concern and helpfulness. Let us as parents, as fathers and mothers, treat our children, who are sons and daughters of God, with respect and love and helpfulness. And let us as children be obedient to our parents, following their counsel and seeking to walk after the ways which they point out to us.
“Let us be faithful in the payment of our tithes and offerings. The Lord has promised that those who pay their tithes shall not be burned [see D&C 64:23]. …
“Let us be more neighborly. Let us be kind. Let us be gracious to those in our midst who are not of our faith. Let us be helpful and generous and good. Let us be Latter-day Saints in the full and complete meaning of that word.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, regional conference, Payson, Utah, 16 Sept. 2001)

What Does the Lord Expect? ~
“What does the Lord expect of Latter-day Saints? What does He expect us to do? He expects us to be good people, to be good fathers who love their wives, who love their children, who honor the priesthood, who stand a little taller and walk a little straighter in their lives—good and faithful and wonderful men. …
“To you women, you mothers, be good wives. Support your husbands. Treat them with kindness. … Help them in all that they do. Be good mothers to your children. … Rear them in love.
“You children, look to your parents as your very best friends. Listen to what they say. Do what they ask, because that is what the Lord has asked of His people, that children be raised in light and truth and love.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, meeting, Nouméa, New Caledonia, 17 June 2000)

What the Church Expects of Its Members ~
“Now the Lord expects wonderful things of you. The Church expects wonderful things of you. [One,] we expect that every member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will have a testimony that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ. If you do not have such a testimony, you can get one. Two, [the Church] expects each of you to be loyal to the priesthood. No officer of this Church through the First Presidency, to the Quorum of the Twelve, to the Seventy, aspired to that office. Three, we are expected to live the Word of Wisdom, to refrain from alcoholic drinks, to refrain from the use of tobacco, to refrain from the use of tea and coffee. Four, the Church expects us to pay our tithing. Marvelous are the promises of God to those who live this law. Five, every man ought to regard his wife as a daughter of God, a daughter who is his equal, with whom he walks side by side. Marvelous is that concept that does not place a woman in an inferior position. One great man said a father can do nothing better for his children than to let them see that he loves their mother. Brethren, treat your wives with love and respect and kindness. And wives, you treat your husbands with love and respect and kindness. Six, the Church expects you to attend your sacrament meetings, there to make your contribution to the spirit of the meeting, there to partake of the sacrament, and there to renew your covenants with the Lord.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, fireside, São Paulo, Brazil, 14 Nov. 1996)

Go to the House of the Lord ~
“Attend the temple. You will be blessed for so doing. Every man or woman who goes into the house of the Lord leaves there a better man or woman than he or she was when he or she entered the house of the Lord. The house of the Lord will have a refining effect upon you. It will cultivate unselfishness within your lives. It will build righteousness. It will impress upon you the importance of doing what you ought to do. Go to the house of the Lord.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, Stake Conference, Provo, Utah, Sept. 22, 2002)

Temple Attendance ~ “I hope that everyone gets to the temple on a regular basis. I hope your children over 12 years of age have the opportunity of going to the temple to be baptized for the dead. If we are a temple-going people, we will be a better people, we will be better fathers and husbands, we will be better wives and mothers. I know your lives are busy. I know that you have much to do. But I make you a promise that if you will go to the house of the Lord, you will be blessed, life will be better for you. Now, please, please, my beloved brethren and sisters, avail yourselves of the great opportunity to go to the Lord’s house and thereby partake of all of the marvelous blessings that are yours to be received there.”
(Gordon B. Hinckley, fireside, Lima, Peru, 9 Nov. 1996)


Jeffrey R. Holland
"Mothers, we acknowledge and esteem your faith in every footstep. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever. And if, for whatever reason, you are making this courageous effort alone, without your husband at your side, then our prayers will be all the greater for you, and our determination to lend a helping hand even more resolute.
"One young mother wrote to me recently that her anxiety tended to come on three fronts. One was that whenever she heard talks on LDS motherhood, she worried because she felt she didn't measure up or somehow wasn't going to be equal to the task. Secondly, she felt like the world expected her to teach her children reading, writing, interior design, Latin, calculus, and the Internet -- all before the baby said something terribly ordinary, like 'goo goo.' Thirdly, she often felt people were sometimes patronizing, almost always without meaning to be, because the advice she got or even the compliments she received seemed to reflect nothing of the mental investment, the spiritual and emotional exertion, the long- night, long-day, stretched-to-the-limit demands that sometimes are required in trying to be and wanting to be the mother God hopes she will be. But one thing, she said, keeps her going: 'Through the thick and the thin of this, and through the occasional tears of it all, I know deep down inside I am doing God's work. I know that in my motherhood I am in an eternal partnership with Him. I am deeply moved that God finds His ultimate purpose and meaning in being a parent, even if some of His children make Him weep.
"'It is this realization,' she says, 'that I try to recall on those inevitably difficult days when all of this can be a bit overwhelming. Maybe it is precisely our inability and anxiousness that urge us to reach out to Him and enhance His ability to reach back to us. Maybe He secretly hopes we will be anxious,' she said, 'and will plead for His help. Then, I believe, He can teach these children directly, through us, but with no resistance offered. I like that idea,' she concludes. 'It gives me hope. If I can be right before my Father in Heaven, perhaps His guidance to our children can be unimpeded. Maybe then it can be His work and His glory in a very literal sense.' ...
"We thank all of you, including our own mothers, and tell you there is nothing more important in this world than participating so directly in the work and glory of God, in bringing to pass the mortality and earthly life of His daughters and sons, so that immortality and eternal life can come in those celestial realms on high. "When you have come to the Lord in meekness and lowliness of heart and, as one mother said, 'pounded on the doors of heaven to ask for, to plead for, to demand guidance and wisdom and help for this wondrous task,' that door is thrown open to provide you the influence and the help of all eternity. Claim the promises of the Savior of the world. Ask for the healing balm of the Atonement for whatever may be troubling you or your children. Know that in faith things will be made right in spite of you, or more correctly, because of you.
"You can't possibly do this alone, but you do have help. The Master of Heaven and Earth is there to bless you -- He who resolutely goes after the lost sheep, sweeps thoroughly to find the lost coin, waits everlastingly for the return of the prodigal son. Yours is the work of salvation, and therefore you will be magnified, compensated, made more than you are and better than you have ever been as you try to make honest effort, however feeble you may sometimes feel that to be."
(Jeffrey R. Holland, “Because She Is a Mother," GC, April 1997; see Ensign May 1997, p. 35ff)

“Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master's garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and sometimes weep over their responsibility as mothers, "Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole." And it will make your children whole as well.”
(Jeffrey R. Holland, "Because She Is A Mother", GC, Apr.1997)


Kathleen Hughes
Standing Strong and Immovable ~
"In the January 2004 worldwide leadership training meeting, President Gordon B. Hinckley admonished the women of the Church to 'stand strong and immovable' against the evil that is growing in the world ("Standing Strong and Immovable," Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jan. 10, 2004).
"Sisters, this is why we must seek to know and feel the Lord's love in our lives. It is why we must remember and treasure up our own experiences with His peace and the strength it brings. And it is why we must relate our own experiences of faith and testimony to our children and to those who are without parents or loved ones."
(Kathleen H. Hughes, "Remembering the Lord's Love," Ensign, Nov. 2006, 112)


Howard W. Hunter
Crediting Mothers ~
"We depend on you sisters so much and look to you for encouragement. You have great spirituality and testimony and faith. If we of the priesthood were honest in our praise, we would give credit where credit is due for the spirituality in our families that comes from you lovely sisters who encourage us to do the right thing and to fulfill our responsibilities in the priesthood."
(Howard W. Hunter, Australia Area Conference, Nov 30, 1979; see also Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, p. 150)


Virginia U. Jensen
Women's Influence ~
"A woman who keeps the commandments is using our Heavenly Father's blueprint to build a place of security for herself and her family. Those around her know they can trust her. They can feel safety and peace within her influence. Adherence to the Lord's commandments is the foundation of her fortress.
"To provide safety for those around us, we as sisters need to expand our knowledge of all things spiritual. We need to learn and progress in understanding and teach our children those things that will make them less vulnerable to deceit and to the designs of those who conspire against righteousness. Ignorance is not bliss; it is dangerous.
"In the 68th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, parents have been commanded to teach their children the simple, lifesaving truths of the restored gospel. Our homes should be the great centers of gospel learning... Like the stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon, our children can be motivated, blessed, and, most of all, protected by the faith and wise counsel of righteous mothers.”
(Virginia U. Jensen, “Creating Places of Security,” General RS Mtg. Sept 27, 1997; see Ensign, Nov 1997, p. 90)