Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Quotes By Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Elder Neal A. Maxwell served as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles from 1981–2004. Among others, Elder Maxwell’s most prominent books are All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience, Not My Will, but Thine and the Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book. Maxwell was known for his great mind and ability to articulate his thoughts elegantly.

Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Each of us is an innkeeper who decides if there is room for Jesus!”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  "Settle This in Your Hearts"

Topics: , ,

+9
Neal A. Maxwell Headshot
“The Lord does not ask for our inability or ability, only our availability shows unto him our dependability, and HE will give you capability.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Topics: , , ,

+7
Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

One’s life . . . cannot be both faith-filled and stress-free. . . . Therefore, how can you and I really expect to glide naively through life, as if to say, ”Lord, give me experience, but not grief, not sorrow, not pain, not opposition, not betrayal, and certainly not to be forsaken. Keep from me, Lord, all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me come and dwell with Thee and fully share Thy joy!” . . .Real faith . . . is required to endure this necessary but painful developmental process.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  “Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds,” Ensign, May 1991, pp. 88, 90

Topics: , ,

+5
Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Isn’t it marvelous, brothers and sisters, that God, who knows everything, still spends time listening to our prayers? Compared to that cosmic fact, what does the world really have to offer us? One round of applause, one fleeting moment of adulation, or an approving glance from a phantom Caesar? May God bless us to see things as they really are and as they really will be (see Jacob 4:13; D&C 93:24), and may we give the glory and honor and praise unto God.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  General Conference, April 2000

Topics:

+4
Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

Just as the capacity to defer gratification is a sign of real maturity, likewise the willingness to wait for deferred explanation is a sign of real faith and of trust spread over time.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  “Willing to Submit,” Ensign, May 1985, p. 71

Topics: , ,

+4
Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Yes, you and I should count our blessings, but we should also make them count!”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  Apply The Atoning Blood of Christ

Topics: , , ,

+3
Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“God does not send thunder if a still, small voice is enough.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  Ensign, November 1976, p. 14

Topics: ,

+3
Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“I am going to preach a hard doctrine to you now. The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. It is a hard doctrine, but it is true. The many other things we give to God, however nice that may be of us, are actually things He has already given us, and He has loaned them to us. But when we begin to submit ourselves by letting our wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him. And that hard doctrine lies at the center of discipleship.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell  |  “Insights from My Life,” Ensign, August 2000, p. 9

Topics: , ,

+2
Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“Personality patterns, habits, strengths, and weaknesses observed by God over a long period of time in the pre-mortal world would give God a perfect understanding of what we would do under a given set of circumstances to come.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Topics: ,

+2
Neal A. Maxwell Headshot

“When we pray, we are not conveying any information to God that he does not already have. Nor, when we confess our sins before him, is it news to him that we have misbehaved. More than we realize, being honest with God in our prayers helps us to be more honest with ourselves.”

Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Topics: , ,

+2