Quotes By Marvin J. Ashton
Marvin J. Ashton was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1971-1994 as well the author of several LDS books including The Measure of Our Hearts and Ye are My Friends. Ashton also served as president of the Polynesian Cultural Center.
“A friend is a possession we earn, not a gift. ….The Lord has declared that those who serve him and keep his commandments are called his servants. After they have been tested and tried and are found faithful and true in all things, they are called no longer servants, but friends. His friends are the ones he will take into his kingdom and with whom he will associate in an eternal inheritance.”
“We need to come to terms with our desire to reach perfection and with our frustration when our accomplishments or our behaviors are less than perfect. I feel that one of the great myths we would do well to dispel is that we’ve come to earth to perfect ourselves, and nothing short of that will do. If I understand the teachings of the prophets of this dispensation correctly, we will not become perfect in this life, though we can make significant strides toward that goal. . . .I am also convinced of the fact that the speed with which we head along the straight and narrow path isn’t as important as the direction in which we are traveling. That direction, if it is leading toward eternal goals, is the all-important factor.”
| Ensign, May 1989, pp. 20-21
“I challenge every Latter-day Saint to come to a knowledge and an understanding of the scriptures. These sacred books are our bulwark of defense against a cunning adversary”
| in Conference Report, Oct. 1977, 110; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, 73
“All of us, young and old, will do well to realize that attitude is more important than the score. Desire is more important than the score. Momentum is more important than the score.”
| "Who's Losing?" General Conference, October 1974