Women, Wives, Mothers

“The true spirit of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
gives to woman the highest place of honor in human life.”
(First Presidency, 1935)


Melvin J. Ballard
Love of Mothers ~
"I grant you that there are many who approach the great responsibility of motherhood with fear and timidity, because of its dangers to the physical life of the mother, because of its pain, its sorrow and its distress; but in the very nature of things, if God should lighten the burdens, the sorrow, and the pain of child-bearing, he would endanger the enduring love of the mother for her children. There is nothing worthwhile we obtain unless we pay the price for it.
"That which is given to us freely, we consider of little value, and so, because a mother goes into the valley of death, lays her life upon the altar to bring life into the world, and because through the rearing of the children who come to her, she spends many sleepless nights, denies herself the personal pleasures of life, devotes herself with patience and care and strength almost more than she has, to the welfare of her children -- this is what makes her love them. For where her treasure is, there her heart is, and the greatest treasure a woman has she gives in her service, her life itself."
(Melvin J. Ballard, Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, comp. Bryant S. Hinckley, pp. 203-4)

M. Russell Ballard
Formative Time of a Child’s Life ~
“I am impressed by countless mothers who have learned how important it is to focus on the things that can only be done in a particular season of life. If a child lives with parents for 18 or 19 years, that span is only one-fourth of a parent's life. And the most formative time of all, the early years in a child's life, represents less than one-tenth of a parent's normal life. It is crucial to focus on our children for the short time we have them with us and to seek, with the help of the Lord, to teach them all we can before they leave our homes. This eternally important work falls to mothers and fathers as equal partners. I am grateful that today many fathers are more involved in the lives of their children. But I believe that the instincts and the intense nurturing involvement of mothers with their children will always be a major key to their well-being. In the words of the proclamation on the family, 'Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children' (The Family: A Proclamation to the World," Ensign, Nov. 1995, 102)."
(M. Russell Ballard, “Daughters of God,” Ensign, May 2008)

Counsel for Mothers ~
"Sisters, find some time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests. Pick one or two things that you would like to learn or do that will enrich your life, and make time for them. Water cannot be drawn from an empty well and if you are not setting aside a little time for what replenishes you, you will have less and less to give to others, even to your children. Avoid any kind of substance abuse, mistakenly thinking that it will help you accomplish more. And don't allow yourself to be caught up in the time-wasting, mind-numbing things like television soap operas or surfing the Internet. Turn to the Lord in faith, and you will know what to do and how to do it."
(M. Russell Ballard, "Daughters of God," Ensign, May 2008, 110)

"(The Lord) needs women in every family, in every ward, in every community, in every nation who will step forward in righteousness and say by their words and actions, 'Here I am, send me.'
"... although there is nothing a woman can do that has a more far-reaching, eternal impact than to rear her children to walk in righteousness, motherhood and marital status are not the only measures of a woman's worth.
"Women who are in a position to hear and respond to the voice of God can become invaluable instruments in his hands."
(M. Russell Ballard, BYU Women’s Conf, April 2001)

“My deep desire is to clarify how we in the presiding councils of the Church feel about the sisters of this Church, how our Heavenly Father feels about His daughters, and what He expects of them. My dear sisters, we believe in you. We believe in and are counting on your goodness and your strength, your propensity for virtue and valor, your kindness and courage, your strength and resilience. We believe in your mission as women of God. We realize that you are the emotional (and sometimes spiritual) glue that holds families and often ward families together. We believe that the Church simply will not accomplish what it must without your faith and faithfulness, your innate tendency to put the well-being of others ahead of your own, and your spiritual strength and tenacity. And we believe that God’s plan is for you to become queens and to receive the highest blessings any woman can receive in time or eternity. On the other hand, Satan’s plan is to get you so preoccupied with the world’s glitzy lie about women that you completely miss what you have come here to do and to become. Remember, he wants us to “be miserable like unto himself” (2 Ne. 2:27). Never lose your precious identity by doing anything that would jeopardize the promised eternal future your Heavenly Father has provided for you. .....
“Every sister who stands for truth and righteousness diminishes the influence of evil. Every sister who strengthens and protects her family is doing the work of God. Every sister who lives as a woman of God becomes a beacon for others to follow and plants seeds of righteous influence that will be harvested for decades to come. Every sister who makes and keeps sacred covenants becomes an instrument in the hands of God. .....
“Now, finally, I turn again to you dear sisters, you who have such a profound, innate spiritual ability to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. You need never wonder again if you have worth in the sight of the Lord and to the Brethren in the presiding councils of the Church. We love you. We cherish you. We respect you. Never doubt that your influence is absolutely vital to preserving the family and to assisting with the growth and spiritual vitality of the Church. This Church will not reach its foreordained destiny without you.
M. Russell Ballard, “Women of Righteousness,” Ensign, Apr 2002, 66–73


Ezra Taft Benson
"Suggestions for Mothers" ~
"Mothers in Zion, your God-given roles are so vital to your own exaltation and to the salvation and exaltation of your family. A child needs a mother more than all the things money can buy. Spending time with your children is the greatest gift of all.
"With love in my heart for the mothers in Zion, I would like to suggest ten specific ways our mothers may spend effective time with their children.
Be at the crossroads
Be a real friend
Read to your children
Pray with your children
Have weekly home evenings
Be together at mealtimes
Read scriptures daily
Do things as a family
Teach your children
Truly love your children.”
(From address given at a "Fireside for Parents," 22 Feb 1987; Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pp. 515-518)

“Your children will remember your teachings forever, and when they are old, they will not depart from them. They will call you blessed – their truly angel mother. Mothers, this kind of heavenly, motherly teaching takes time – lots of time. It cannot be done effectively part-time. It must be done all the time in order to save and exalt your children. This is your divine calling.”
Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson

"Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace.
“Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life (see Matthew 10:39).
“We should put God ahead of everyone else in our lives.
“Fathers, would it please the Lord if there were daily family prayer and scripture reading in your home? And what about the holding of weekly home evenings and periodically having individual time with your wife and each child? And if your child went temporarily astray, do you think it would please the Lord and He would honor your efforts if you continued to live an exemplary life, consistently prayed and frequently fasted for that child, and kept the name of that son or daughter on the temple prayer roll?
“You mothers who are especially charged with the righteous rearing of the youth of Zion, are you not putting God first when you honor your divine calling by not leaving the home front to follow the ways of the world? Our mothers put God first when they fill their highest mission within the walls of their own homes.
“Children, do you pray for your parents? Do you try to support them in their noble endeavors? They will make mistakes like you, but they have a divine mission to accomplish in your life. Will you help them do so? Will you add honor to their name and bring comfort and support to them in their older years? If someone wants to marry you outside the temple, whom will you strive to please--God or a mortal? If you insist on a temple marriage, you will be pleasing the Lord and blessing the other party.”
(Ezra Taft Benson, "Jesus Christ - Gifts and Expectations," Christmas Devotional, SLC, Utah, 7 Dec 1986; see Ensign Dec. 1988, p. 4 and Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson p. 361)

Love of Wife ~
"In latter-day revelation the Lord speaks again of this obligation. He said, 'Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else' (D&C 42:22). To my knowledge there is only one other thing in all scripture that we are commanded to love with all our hearts, and that is God Himself. Think what that means! . .
"What does it mean to love someone with all your heart? It means to love with all your emotional feelings and with all your devotion. Surely when you love your wife with all your heart, you cannot demean her, criticize her, find fault with her, or abuse her by words, sullen behavior, or actions.
"What does it mean to 'cleave unto her'? It means to stay close to her, to be loyal and faithful to her, to communicate with her, and to express your love for her.
"Love means being sensitive to her feelings and needs. She wants to be noticed and treasured. She wants to be told that you view her as lovely and attractive and important to you. Love means putting her welfare and self-esteem as a high priority in your life."
(Ezra Taft Benson, "To the Fathers in Israel," Ensign, Nov. 1987, 50)


Hugh B. Brown
“There is no better way to worship and glorify God than by assisting his sons on the upward and difficult climb. This takes patience, tolerance, forbearance and other typically feminine virtues.”
(Hugh B. Brown, “The Exalted Sphere of Woman,” Relief Society Magazine, December 1965, p. 887)

“There are people fond of saying that women are the weaker instruments, but I don’t believe it. Physically they may be, but spiritually, morally, religiously, and in faith, what man can match a woman who is really converted to the gospel! Women are more willing to make sacrifices than are men, more patient in suffering, more earnest in prayer. They are the peers and often superior to men in resilience, in goodness, in morality, and in faith.”
(Hugh B. Brown, Relief Society Conference, Sept. 29, 1965)


Matthew Cowley
“You sisters belong to the great sorority of saviorhood. You may not hold the priesthood. Men are dif-ferent, men have to have something given to them to make them saviors of men, but not mothers, not women. You are born with an inherent right, an inherent authority, to be the saviors of human souls. You are the co-creators with God of His children. Therefore, it is expected of you, by a right divine, that you be the saviors and the regenerating force in the lives of God’s children here upon the earth.”
(Matthew Cowley Speaks, p. 109)


Sheri L. Dew
Impact of Righteous Women ~
“Why is it vital that we as LDS women have a clear vision of who we are and what we are about and have a bedrock faith in the Lord Jesus Christ?
“Sister Patricia Holland said something that I find profound: "If I were Satan and wanted to destroy a society, I think I too would stage a full-blown blitz on women" ("‘Many Things . . . One Thing,'" A Heritage of Faith: Talks Selected from the BYU Women's Conferences [SLC: Deseret Book, 1988], 17).
“My dear sisters, you have been called to live and work and raise families in the twilight of the dispensation of the fulness of times, and you are nothing less than the best the Lord has ever had. You are heroines in every sense of that word. Which is why the Lord needs us to arise and be everything we can be. President Howard W. Hunter put it this way: "There is a great need to rally the women of the Church to stand with and for the Brethren in stemming the tide of evil that surrounds us and in moving forward the work of our Savior. . . . Only together can we accomplish the work he has given us to do and be prepared for the day when we shall see him" (Ensign, Nov 1992, 96). ....
“I believe him. The impact of righteous, determined, pure-hearted women today is immeasurable. It doesn't matter where you live, whether or not you have children, how much money you have, or how talented you think you are—or aren't. This is a day when the Lord and his kingdom need women who are firmly grounded in their testimony of Jesus Christ; women of vision who have their sights trained on the purpose of life; women who can hear the voice of the Lord, expose the distractions of the adversary for what they are, and press forward with a sense of purpose and a desire to contribute; women who are articulate as well as compassionate; women who understand who they are, and where they are going, and are determined to not let anything keep them from getting there.
"The impact of righteous, determined, pure-hearted women today is immeasurable. It doesn't matter where you live, whether or not you have children, how much money you have, or how talented you think you are -- or aren't. This is a day when the Lord and his kingdom need women who are firmly grounded in their testimony of Jesus Christ, women of vision who have their sights trained on the purpose of life. Women who can hear the voice of the Lord, expose the distractions of the adversary for what they are, and press forward with a sense of purpose and a desire to contribute. Women who are articulate as well as compassionate. Women who understand who they are. And where they are going. And are determined to not let anything keep them from getting there.
"Good women all over the world are desperate for leadership, for role models, for the assurance borne out in lives well lived that families are important, that virtue is not outdated, and that it is possible to feel peace and purpose in a society spinning out of control.
"We have reason to be the most reassured, the most determined, the most confident of all women. In saying this, I don't minimize our personal disappointments. But we know what we're here for. And we know that we are beloved of the Lord. ....
(Sheri L. Dew, "This Is a Test, It Is Only a Test," BYU Women's Conf, 1998; see May Christ Lift Thee Up. pp. 200-201)

"There is another kind of judging that is more subtle but equally destructive. When we label one another, we make judgments that divide ourselves from one another and inevitably alienate us from the Lord.
"The Lord needs every one of us. He needs those leading our children and our youth. He needs every one of us to fulfill our foreordained mission. The cause of women is to help build the kingdom of God. It is not something that we can be casual about. For it is our stewardship. It's our privilege. It's our destiny. Will you join me?"
Sheri L. Dew, Women’s Conference, BYU, April 2000)

Proper Decisions ~
"A woman led by the Lord knows where to turn for answers and for peace. She can make difficult decisions and face problems with confidence because she takes her counsel from the Spirit, and from her leaders who are also guided by the Spirit."
(Sheri L. Dew, “We Are Not Alone," Ensign, Nov. 1998, p. 95–96)

Womanhood ~
"It is by letting the world go and coming unto Christ that we increasingly live as women of God. We were born for eternal glory. Just as faithful men were foreordained to hold the priesthood, we were foreordained to be women of God. We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who rejoice in motherhood and in womanhood and in the family. We are not panicked about perfection, but we are working to become more pure. And we know that in the strength of the Lord we can do all righteous things because we have immersed ourselves in His gospel (see Alma 26:12). I repeat, we cannot be women of the world, for we are latter-day women of God. As President Kimball taught, 'No greater recognition can come to [us] in this world than to be known as [women] of God' ('The Role of Righteous Women,' Ensign, November 1979, p. 102)."
Sheri L. Dew, "We Are Women of God," Ensign, November 1999, p. 99


Henry B. Eyring
“I don't remember as much of my mother's teaching as I do her prayers for us. I could feel her love, and the Spirit confirmed in my heart that she loved Heavenly Father and the Savior and that her prayers would be answered. She brought blessings down on our heads then, and the memory of her prayers still does.”
(Henry B. Eyring, "A Legacy of Testimony", GC, Apr.1996)

“I can still remember my mother speaking softly to me one Saturday afternoon when, as a little boy, I asked her for permission to do something I thought was perfectly reasonable and which she knew was dangerous. I still am amazed at the power she was granted, I believe from the Lord, to turn me around with so few words. As I remember them, they were: ‘Oh, I suppose you could do that. But the choice is yours.’ The only warning was in the emphasis she put on the words could and choice. Yet that was enough for me.
“Her power to warn with so few words sprang from three things I knew about her. First, I knew she loved me. Second, I knew she had already done what she wanted me to do and been blessed by it. And third, she had conveyed to me her sure testimony that the choice I had to make was so important that the Lord would tell me what to do if I asked Him. Love, example, and testimony: those were keys that day, and they have been whenever I have been blessed to hear and then heed the warning of a servant of the Lord.”
(Henry B. Eyring, A Voice of Warning, GC, Oct 1998)


James E. Faust
"I affirm my profound belief that God’s greatest creation is womanhood. I also believe that there is no greater good in all the world than motherhood. The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation. Single parents, most of whom are mothers, perform an especially heroic service."
James E Faust, Finding Light in a Dark World, pg. 131

“To be a daughter of God means you are the offspring of Deity, literal descendants of a Divine Father, inheriting godly attributes and potential. To be a daughter of God also means that you have been born again, changed from a ‘carnal and fallen state,’ to a state of righteousness’ (Mosiah 27:25)...
“Being a daughter of God means that if you seek it, you can find your true identity. You will know who you are.”
(James E. Faust, “What It Means to Be a Daughter of God, Ensign, Nov. 1999, 100, 102)

"It is useless to debate which parent is most important. No one would doubt that a mother's influence is paramount with newborns in the first years of a child's life. The father's influence increases as the child grows older. However, each parent is necessary at various times in a child's development. Both fathers and mothers do many intrinsically different things for their children. Both mothers and fathers are equipped to nurture children, but their approaches are different. Mothers seem to take a dominant role in preparing children to live within their families (present and future). Fathers seem best equipped to prepare children to function in the environment outside the family. . . .
"Parents in any marital situation have a duty to set aside personal differences and encourage each other's righteous influence in the lives of their children."
(James E. Faust, "Father, Come Home," Ensign , May 1993, 35)

The Influence of Righteous Women ~
"Do the best you can to help all of us reach higher and do better. Use your innate spiritual gifts to bless. Help us push back the pernicious influences of the world in our lives, our homes, and in the Church."
(James E. Faust, "You Are All Heaven Sent," Ensign, Nov. 2002, 114)

"No matter what circumstances you sisters experience, your influence can be marvelously far-reaching. I believe some of you have a tendency to underestimate your profound capacity for blessing the lives of others. More often than not, it is not on the stage with some public pronouncement but in your example of righteousness and the countless gentle acts of love and kindness done so willingly, so often on a one-to-one basis."
James E. Faust, "You Are All Heaven Sent," Ensign, Nov. 2002, 110

“....Indeed, Mother Eve left a lasting legacy that comes down through the ages to bless the lives of all men and women.
“As daughters of God, you cannot imagine the divine potential within each of you. Surely the secret citadel of women's inner strength is spirituality. In this you equal and even surpass men, as you do in faith, morality, and commitment when truly converted to the gospel. You have "more trust in the Lord [and] more hope in his word."15 This inner spiritual sense seems to give you a certain resilience to cope with sorrow, trouble, and uncertainty.
“You sisters do not know the full extent of your influence. You sisters enrich all of humanity. All human life begins with you. Each woman brings her own separate, unique strengths to the family and the Church. Being a daughter of God means that if you seek it, you can find your true identity. You will know who you are. This will make you free--not free from restraints, but free from doubts, anxieties, or peer pressure. You will not need to worry, "Do I look all right?" "Do I sound OK?" "What do people think of me?" A conviction that you are a daughter of God gives you a feeling of comfort in your self-worth. It means that you can find strength in the balm of Christ. It will help you meet the heartaches and challenges with faith and serenity.
“I wonder if you sisters can fully appreciate the innate gifts, blessings, and endowments you have simply because you are daughters of God.”
(James E. Faust -October 1999 General Women’s Meeting)

“All of you will have to sometime answer to your natural womanly instincts, which the Prophet Joseph said are according to your natures. He said, ‘“If you live up to these principles, how great and glorious will be your reward in the celestial kingdom! If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.’” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith (1977), 226.) You should respond generously to those instincts and promptings to do good. Hold your soul very still, and listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Follow the noble, intuitive feelings planted deep within your souls by Deity in the previous world. In this way you will be responding to the Holy Spirit of God and will be sanctified by truth. By so doing, you will be eternally honored and loved. Much of your work is to enrich mankind with your great capacity for care and mercy."
(James E. Faust, How Near to the Angels, Ensign (CR), May 1998, p.95)

"I wonder if you sisters fully understand the greatness of your gifts and talents and how all of you can achieve the “highest place of honor” in the Church and in the world. One of your unique, precious, and sublime gifts is your femininity, with its natural grace, goodness, and divinity. Femininity is not just lipstick, stylish hairdos, and trendy clothes. It is the divine adornment of humanity. It finds expression in your qualities of your capacity to love, your spirituality, delicacy, radiance, sensitivity, creativity, charm, graciousness, gentleness, dignity, and quiet strength. It is manifest differently in each girl or woman, but each of you possesses it."
James E. Faust, “Womanhood: The Highest Place of Honor,” Ensign, May 2000,95

“As women, you are wonderful and special. You have a great mission, a great errand, and a great calling. Indeed, God devised his work for both men and women: “All those who receive my gospel are sons and daughters in my kingdom.” (D&C 25:1.) Being born as women brings to you many endowments that are not common to men and therefore make you unique.
“No doubt it would help if husbands would follow the counsel of the late Elder G. Homer Durham: “Man, as well as woman, has obligations to learn the difficult art of fatherhood in homemaking. This is not a task just for the woman.” (In Women, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979, p. 36.)
“Doing things sequentially—-filling roles one at a time at different times—-is not always possible, as we know, but it gives a woman the opportunity to do each thing well in its time and to fill a variety of roles in her life. A woman does not necessarily have to track a career like a man does. She may fit more than one career into the various seasons of life. She need not try to sing all of the verses of her song at the same time. The Book of Ecclesiastes says: ‘To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.’(Eccl. 3:1.)
“The various roles of women have not decreased a woman’s responsibility. While these roles are challenging, the central roles of wife and mother remain in the soul and cry out to be satisfied. It is in the soul to want to love and be loved by a good man and to be able to respond to the God-given, deepest feelings of womanhood—those of being a mother and nurturer.
“Now, I wish to note clearly that what I am saying is in the spirit of general counsel—that is, it applies generally. But there are exceptions in its application.
“I join Brigham Young in saying, “Daughter(s), use all your gifts to build up righteousness in the earth.” (Susa Young Gates, The Life Story of Brigham Young, New York: The MacMillan Co., 1930, p. 307.)
"I have said that you are wonderful, special, and unique as women. Let me tell you why. Women seem to arrive at decisions in different ways than men do. I have noticed that your grandmother “thinks” with her heart. My approach seems more logical. Your grandmother is concerned about how her decisions affect the people around her.
“But there is the advantage that in working twenty-four hours a day on family relations, you are working on eternal relations as well. Thus, you will also have more time to serve the Lord’s church on earth where your service is valued and needed.
“I hope your husbands will be more helpful than I have been, but homemaking is whatever you make it. Every day brings satisfaction along with some work that may be frustrating, routine, and unchallenging. But it is the same in the law office, the dispensary, the laboratory, or the store. There is, however, no more important job than homemaking. As C. S. Lewis said, it is the one for which all others exist.
“God will not ennoble a person, man or woman, who refuses to uphold by faith, prayer, and works those whom God has called to preside over him or her. My dear granddaughters, you will want to sustain priesthood authority.
“Some women may feel it subverts their agency to be directed by the power of the priesthood. This feeling comes from misunderstanding. There should be no compulsion, duress, or unrighteous dominion involved in priesthood authority. ...
“Following the priesthood of the Church is an expression of faith in the Lord’s continuing guidance of his church. It is a willing acceptance of the principle of divine agency.
“Girls, you must practice virtue in its largest sense. Of the many definitions of virtue, such as moral excellence, right action and thinking, goodness of character, and chastity, I also appreciate the definition of virtue as an order of angels. You cannot become great women if you are not also good women. You will become great women if you join an order of angels.
“You may ask, ‘How do I join an order of angels?’ My answer is that you must hunger and thirst after righteousness. William Law, an eighteenth-century clergyman, said: ‘If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God first, it will in the end make no difference what you have chosen instead.’
“Granddaughters, cultivate and employ your noble womanly instincts of care and mercy. Always hunger and thirst after righteousness. Great women respond generously to their instincts to do good. With your very being held still, listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Follow those noble, intuitive feelings planted deep within your soul by Deity. By responding thus to the Holy Spirit of God, you will be sanctified by truth and you will be eternally honored and loved.
“Much of your work as a woman is to enrich mankind. Care and mercy seem to be a dominant refrain of the song you have the opportunity to sing. I hope you will not leave any of the melody unsung.”
James E. Faust, “A Message to My Granddaughters: Becoming ‘Great Women’,” Ensign, Sep 1986, 16